


The Vode

by RoseThorn14



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know how fast the relationship will move, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Multi, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi Whump, Otherwise known as all my fics, Panic Attacks, Poor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Obi-Wan Kenobi, Whump, possible cody/obi-wan/rex later, touch-starved obi-wan, we'll see how it goes, we'll see where the story takes me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24056941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseThorn14/pseuds/RoseThorn14
Summary: It didn't really take much to convince the Vode to rebel against the Kaminoans.And it was only a little more effort for them to organise themselves into a government that would be accepted by the Republic.Convincing the newly crowned King Cody to take a Jedi spouse was a different story. However, sometimes you needed to bit the blaster fire and invoke centuries old laws to ensure that the Senate won't stab you and the four million warriors you are responsible for in the back.Poor Obi-Wan Kenobi just so happens to be unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire.----OrA universe where Jango Fett actually takes responsibility for his people and acts like the Mandalorian he should.And just so happens to mess up all of Palpatine's plans in the process
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Comments: 1071
Kudos: 3330
Collections: A collections of favorite stories, Favorite Rereads, TexWash's Must Reads and Rereads, Yubi SW





	1. The Clones Destroy the Plan

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Prince Cody of Kamino](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16716530) by [Gabriel4Sam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabriel4Sam/pseuds/Gabriel4Sam). 



> This is really an expansion on and a slightly darker take on the fic by Gabriel4Sam. I loved it and I really want to see more of it, so I'm writing it.

Jango Fett was not a good man.

This was a fact that he was very aware of, especially after the last decade.

However, Jango liked to think that, for all his failings, as a man, as a warrior, as a Mand'alor, he was a good father.

This conviction was questioned when Boba, his darling nine-year-old boy looked up at him in their rooms on Kamino, eyes wide as he asked, "Dad, is Cody my brother?"

Jango winced. He'd managed not to think about that all that much over the last few years.

"No, Boba," he'd murmured.

When he'd first taken on the job, Jango had had many good reasons. The promise of a son had been the primary one, but the credits, and the chance to get back at the Jetii had been extremely strong elements as well that all worked together to convince him to enthusiastically take up the job.

He hadn't counted on just what that would mean.

When the clones were described to him, the Kaminoans had made it seem like they would be blank slates to be programmed, nothing more than flesh droids and, for years, he hadn't been able to see how wrong he had been.

Jango had started feeling the creeping sense of wrongness and guilt that now plagued him constantly when he'd found a cadet huddled up in a small abandoned nook, sobbing for his decommissioned batchmates.

He'd tried to stop the practice from then, finding jobs for 'unsuitable' clones, and, most of the time, the Kaminoans could be convinced since feeding them cost less than droid upkeep. However, he wasn't always successful and every time he wasn't, that tearing sensation in his chest that made it hard to look himself in the mirror got worse.

And then he'd been there to witness a clone - CC-2225 - standing over a cadet that had been slated for decommissioning. The man had a blaster in his hands, and had already successfully gunned down one of the long-necks - as Jango had overheard his clones calling them - when suddenly he dropped. The Kaminoans were quick to take care of the unresponsive body, swiftly cutting his throat to leave the brain untouched so it could be examined for any deviations. 

"What was that?" Jango demanded as they took the body and the cadet away.

Lama Su blinked slowly at him.

"You need not worry," she assured him. "We just installed… safeguards to ensure that the clones properly for the Republic and the Jedi."

"What safeguards?"

Lama Su hesitated, but could not hold up under Jango's glare.

"Behavioural chips. They were specifically requested, and the protocols pre-programmed before we put them in. Our benefactor insisted they be included. They were one of the few things the initial cloning order was specific about."

As the Kaminoan turned to leave, Jango instinctively locked eyes with CC-2224, their faces displaying mirrored expressions of horror.

CC-2224 recovered first, his face rearranging itself into harsh stoicism, already displaying characteristics that would have him placed into high commander training in just a few months' time.

CC-2224's face may have been the image of professional, however, Jango knew his own face well enough to see the bite of accusation in his eyes.

"I'm going to fix this," Jango muttered, feeling a protectiveness spark in him that he was only used to feeling around his then six-year old son.

CC-2224 hadn't answered but the slight tightening of his features had been condemnation enough.

Jango had been too late.

Over that next year, Jango's conviction to change the plan only grew stronger.

He no longer had any reason to go along with his initial commission.

He already had his son, who he had confirmed had no chip in his head, and the money was in protected accounts, but he cared little enough about that regardless. And, to top it all off, Jango had learnt that Dooku, the jetii scum primarily responsible for Galidraan, was now on his employer's side.

That faceless entity that had reached out to him, promising him revenge on the jetii had now taken in the one jetii who's death might have mollified Jango into letting go of his grudge against the Order.

If Jango's love for his son, and his horror at what was being done, what he had _helped_ be done, any less, Jango might not have seen it. Might have been too wrapped up in the rush of finally, finally getting his revenge to realise.

But he had.

No, Jango Fett might not have been a good man, but he was a smart one. He hadn't been appointed Mand'alor for no reason. He knew when he was being manipulated.

And Jaster would be disappointed in him if he had let his clones, his people suffer and die like this. More than disappointed, Jaster would have killed him for such a crime against Mandalorians.

So, Jango did what he should have done long ago. He got off his sheb and started making changes.

It started slow at first. Too slow.

But Jango had learnt patience the hard way, stuck for two years as a slave on a spice transport, and he knew how long it took to achieve freedom for just one slave. Jango was trying to free millions.

Dear gods, Jango had become the very thing he hated.

The only thing to do was to rectify the situation.

Jango started out by becoming more involved in the training process, getting to know his clones better. He began to get more involved in their training, slowly teaching them about their history, about what it means to be Mandalorian. He'd only managed to impart these lessons to the command, the Commander Squadron that had been established as well as the couple of hundred others that had been marked as leadership material, but he knew that the information would spread. He also managed to give those few them access to the holonet, trusting that they would know how to keep it a secret.

Really, the clones - no the Vode, that's what they were calling themselves - did the rest.

CC-2224 - Cody, who had gotten his name from one of Jango's lessons on glory, on kote - was the first. He had come to Jango with an accusatory plea (something only him and Fox had mastered) to get the chip out of his head. The look in his eyes wasn't trust, but a kind of desperation of a man that knew he had no other options, a man who was beginning to realise just how wrong their situation was.

The Kaminoans had really done too good a job picking out the commanders. When you put a group of the best strategists in millions together, and give them only one goal to focus their hopes on, they were going to get it done by any means necessary.

And so, at first it was a handful who would take 'private sparring sessions' with Jango, who had managed to purchase med droids proficient enough that they wouldn't leave a scar. And then it was a few dozen, and then a couple hundred. Jango told the Kaminoans it was his own version of testing, that their clinical trials couldn't really determine their battle readiness. Which was true, for the most part. The Kaminoans could ensure that they would be effective in a battle with their squads, but Jango could teach them how to live and fight alongside their comrades.

Now, the Vode were getting ready to make their move the next day, to wipe out their slavers, whilst Jango curled up beside his son in their quarters.

"No, Cody isn't your brother," Jango informed Boba.

Even though they were the same age and had the same DNA. No, Boba was the only one of them that Jango would call his son. He hadn't earnt the title of father for the rest of them, but maybe, just maybe, he had done enough to find a place amongst them as a fellow vod.

\----

Cody stood over Taun We's body, having skewered her on the end of the beskad Jango had convinced the long necks to let him train them in.

He breathed heavily, clutching the Mandalorian saber so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Rex, Waxer and Boil, the three vod that he'd chosen to take with him to secure the embryos.

Cody, who, as a Commander, had been afforded comm privileges with the rest of the squadron, got confirmations that Fox, Bly, Wolffe, Ponds, Gree and Grey had all completed their objectives.

"Communication towers are locked down, boss. What's our next move?" Fox asked.

Cody blanched, grateful that he had his helmet on. "Boss?"

"Yeah, Codes. You were the one to start all this, it's your job to figure it out," Bly contributed.

Cody glanced desperately at Rex, who's blaster wound was being field treated by Waxer until they could get him to the medics.

"Rex had just as many ideas as me, and it was both our decision to go forward."

That was true. Cody hadn’t had the courage or the right planning to move forward until Rex had subtly signalled to him in the mess one day and they'd met up in the middle of cadet patrol duty. Only with both of them on it, had they managed to move forward.

"Then he can be your Second in Command and we can be your Generals," Wolffe barked out over comms. "Just get to the command centre so we can actually get this place under control…. General."

Everything in Cody's training rebelled at the mere thought of him being addressed as General. They may have been made for the jetii, but they were their own people, and they decided where to move forward from there. And if that meant that he was going to be general when all he ever thought he would be was a commander, then so be it.

He was just glad that their progenitor was Mandalorian, and had decided to teach them enough about their ancestry for them to snap out of the worship the Long-necks had brainwashed them to feel for the jetii.

Speaking of…

"Ponds, get Fett into the centre as well. He knows more about interacting the galaxy than any of us do," he ordered into his wrist comm. "And Fox, make sure you have all your notes on Republic Law."

He glanced over at Rex.

"You okay, vod?"

Rex nodded tightly. "I can meet you there."

Cody wanted to argue, but he didn't have time for that kind of argument, and he couldn’t doubt that Rex would be sorely needed.

"Boil, get Kix up to the Command Centre."

They had a lot of work to do.

\----

It took them four months to finally get everything together.

Within the first three weeks, they'd taken over Kamino entirely, renaming the planet Vodera and relegating the populace to the small floating outpost on the other side of the planet.

The Kaminoans were not a very populous race, as their warped biology made it extremely difficult for them to conceive and few were fertile. The small portion of the population that weren't scientists seemed happy enough to be left alone to their sequestered dwelling floating on the planets endless sea.

It had taken them another two and a half months to get all the paperwork together and to find out all the protocols.

Due to some very adept slicing by Jango and Tech - one of the defective clones that the former Mandalore had saved - they were able to gain access to the very, very deep archives of active Republic laws as well as relatively up-to-date news on what was happening in Coruscant.

They'd put together an information package and a trade proposal for the Republic Senate, which they'd send out to all the Senators as well as the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. They'd collected everything they knew about their conception, including the involvement of the Jedi Master Sifo Diyas as well as the legal evidence that supported their own declaration as an independent nation and people.

The High Court of Vodera had also managed to organise many beneficial exports for the planet that would help secure their place in the galaxy, which included rare and profitable sea delicacies as well as plastoid armour, from the factories that were built just a little ways off the capitol island, which the Vode had improved upon from the original design the Kaminoans had.

Now, all they needed was to choose just what they would do to cement themselves legally within the Republic.

"Why can't we just submit it like that?" Wolffe asked, pushing back off from the oval table in the Strategy Room.

"Because, _vod_ ," Fox replied, his voice thick with annoyance, "if we don't secure our position within the Senate properly, we'll have any number of worlds looking to tear us apart."

"We have a fighting force of one million soldiers," Ponds agreed. "And another three million that should be completely trained within five years. At this stage, we're the largest army in the galaxy. We need to do something that will ensure our safety or they will destroy us, especially since there's no way we're just going to _stop_ training."

Jango nodded. "Exactly."

Cody rolled his eyes as the argument was brought to a close for what must have been the hundredth time. He understood why they were having it. Many of the laws or procedures they could undergo to tie themselves to the Republic would not be favourable to them, leaving them either with too little power in the Senate at best, or just as servile to it as the Jedi now were at worst.

Fox frowned as he looked down at his datapad.

Cody raised his eyebrow. "Go on."

"One of my team - Dogma, he's a good kid, a real stickler for rules - found something that might just be what we're looking for. It's very old from what we could tell but still in effect… You won't like it though."

"Just spit it out, Fox."

Fox sighed and pressed a button on his datapad, sending the files to everyone's personal datapad.

Cody felt his features slowly tightening as he read through the law and the subsequent proposal (which was more a very diplomatically worded demand) for it to be carried out.

"No," Cody grit out, once he had finished, but his denial was met by silence amongst his court.

He glared around at his vode. "I'm not marrying a karking _jetii."_

Bly shrugged. "It would tie us to the Republic. It's a good faith demonstration from both sides."

"The Republic has to give up one of ten thousand soldiers whilst we have to submit to oversight by the Jedi. It's hardly an equal trade."

Rex snorted. "You're leaving out the part where the Jedi would be legally obligated to come to our aide without needing the consent of the Senate or the imploration of an outside party. That's a serious boon."

Cody shot him a betrayed look and Rex just shrugged. The traitor.

"And Jedi oversight is only a theoretical aspect of the law," Fox contributed. "In practice, it was more like having a Jedi hostage rather than an overseer. We are under no obligation to let them see any aspect of our planet that we don't want them to."

"Why would the Republic agree to this? How does it help them?" Cody argued. "The Senate's already scrambling. They just found out that their Chancellor was a kriffing traitor!"

"That’s exactly why they'll agree," Jango shot back. "They just found out that their Chancellor was a Sith, from a former Jedi, one that was a member of the Council. And said former Jedi was apparently planning to help start an galaxy-wide war. The Senate will be looking for a chance to punish the Jedi to show the public that they have a handle on them. Serenno's already managed to push all the blame onto them anyway."

Cody sighed, knowing he was losing the argument.

"The Senate will probably call for someone close to Dooku to be brought over, which means we won't only have a Jedi, but one that Dooku cares about," Fox said.

The vode around the table shift at that. They all wanted the chance for revenge against the Jedi for the life they consigned them to and it was all the better if it would also be a shot at the man who had seen to their continued torment.

"How do you know that?" Cody asked.

Fox shrugged. "I've read a lot about Senate rulings. They only ever usually traipsed this rule out to punish the Jedi. The last time was about two hundred years ago when Stewjon formally allied with the Republic, a planet that is also, funnily enough, a warrior culture."

Cody closed his eyes. "I'm still going to have to marry them."

"A lot of political marriages are basically imprisonment for one of the parties. It's not like you have to fall in love with him, vod," Fox replied. "It's a part of being King."

"Yes," Cody grit out. "A title which I was bullied into."

"Who else was gonna do it?" Grey piped up with a snort.

He cast a look around the table, looking for any support but only found enthusiastic agreement at Fox's proposal. He glanced at Rex, but the Prince of Kamino only shrugged.

"Hey, it's not my place to go against the Court. I'm only here because you lobbied to have me in this position. I wasn't a Commander."

Before Cody could launch into a rant about how their worth wasn't defined by how the Kaminoans valued them, and that Rex was just as critical to the freeing of the Vode as he was, Rex waved him off.

"I know, Codes, I know. But I agree with them. It's the best course of action."

"You all need to make the decision now, before the Senate can get their feet back under them. Dooku has almost certainly told them about Vodera by now," Jango reminded them.

Cody took a deep breath thinking over it.

After a few moments, he sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"Fine," he scowled. "Put it through."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you guys like it? I really want to get into the political plays in this fic. So, instead of getting Clone Wars, we're getting Clone Politics with a dash of an arranged marriage sought of enemies to lovers thrown in on the side.


	2. A Bad Time for the Jedi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi's reaction to the events.

Obi-Wan woke up with a bad feeling. 

He closed his eyes and pressed his head further into his pillow, his body heavy with fatigue despite the sleep he'd just gotten. The Council had called him in to help him handle some of the devastating political fallout of the information package that had been delivered to the Senate a week ago. He'd spent his days talking to aides, negotiating with Senators, and contributing to Council meetings which he had no place in. 

Usually, the Jedi would not get so involved in the dealings with the Senate, but with the reveal of the fact that the Chancellor had been a Sith, the Council had decided that they needed to monitor the Senate more closely, and attempt to weed out any potential Darksiders that could have infiltrated it. 

He allowed himself only a moment of quiet before he pushed himself out of bed, quickly getting ready and chugging down a mug of his most caffeinated tea before he undertook the challenge of waking his padawan up.

He didn't bother knocking on the door, instead striding into the room and nudging the sleeping form. 

"Anakin, it's time to wake up."

There was a groan beneath the pile of blankets. 

He nudged harder.

"Anakin, I only have a few minutes before I have to leave. The Council needs me."

The groan was only slightly louder this time. 

"Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed. "Don't make me do this."

"Go 'way."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, before he took a step back and outstretched his hand. 

Anakin was promptly lifted up into the air, floated a few metres to the side, and dropped onto the ground. 

Anakin jerked into a sitting position, head whipping around to glare at Obi-Wan. 

"Master!"

"I'm sorry Anakin, but I have to go now, and you have a morning saber class to teach as well as social studies homework to complete."

"Uh!"

A pillow flew across the room, only barely missing Obi-Wan. 

"Yes, Anakin, I know, I'm the worst. Just get up."

And, with that, he left. 

His morning was just as busy as all the ones in the past week had been and he found himself at midday sitting with Depa, Plo and Adi as they all ate a rushed snack after another long round of negotiations, this time with a coalition of Mid-Rim senators. 

They were sitting in tense, tired silence as they lounged on a few couches in a room just off the Council Chambers.

They all knew the inevitable outcome of this situation. There was no way the Senate was not going to take the deal. It was the only decision that made sense. All the Jedi could do was wait for the order to come through. This was not something they could deny the Senate, not after all the political manoeuvres they had made to hold Dooku within the temple, another thing Obi-Wan had been enlisted in helping with. 

That had been necessary. Dooku was still Dark and could only be contained by the Jedi, and, whilst that reason should have been enough for them to get custody of him, it had still taken them calling in more than a few political favours. The fact that the Chancellor had been a Sith was not helping matters, since most senators didn't know exactly what that meant and just blamed the Jedi for the red bladed lightsaber fight that had broken out in the temple a fortnight ago that had ended in the Chancellor escaping into the bowels of Coruscant and Dooku being arrested, but not before he had revealed a damning amount of evidence against Palpatine. 

Anakin had been distraught, and angry at the news, but as per advice from Mace and Plo, Obi-Wan had enrolled him in a few teaching modules to distract him. Anakin wasn't naturally good with children, but his loud boisterous nature appealed to some of the older initiates and they seemed to calm him down. As per usual, he had been reluctant to tell Obi-Wan about any of his feelings, but the night before, had opened up enough to admit how betrayed he felt. 

As he was thinking, the Kel Dor master handed him a small sandwich. 

"Eat Obi-Wan, you can't just function on tea for the rest of the day."

Obi-Wan accepted the food, shifting his cup to one hand. "Thank you Plo."

It still felt weird addressing Council Members by their first names, even though Plo, Mace, Depa and Adi had all helped him a lot over the years he had been teaching Anakin, but after the first week of putting out political fires, most Council Members had insisted he start addressing them as such in private.

He ate mechanically, unable to stop himself from thinking about what they were about to consign one of their people to. 

"Will there be any way for us to ensure their safety?" he asked quietly, breaking the silence. 

They'd all been able to read between the lines of the very long proposal and information package sent out from Vodera. The Vode held no love for the Jedi. Understandably. The Shadows were still scrambling to find something on Master Sifo Dayis, a case that had gone cold over a decade ago. 

However, understandable resentment or not, and regardless of the need to rectify the situation, the Order still did not want to ship one of their own people off to be at the mercy of a race of men who shared DNA with the Jedi Killer, as well as, apparently, his anti-Jedi sentiment. 

The silence Obi-Wan's question was met with was very telling. 

The tension was cut when the door leading to the Council Chambers opened, Mace and Yoda walked in, wearing matching grim expressions. 

All of them got up and bowed deeply to the Masters.

Mace and Yoda gave simultaneous deep nods before they both looked to Obi-Wan.

"Master Kenobi," Mace greeted and Obi-Wan restrained his internal flinch. 

He had been given the rank after a particularly difficult negotiation assignment just over a month ago after a mission in which he'd had to protect an injured Anakin whilst also persuading a planet to simultaneously not break out into Civil War or secede from the Republic. He still wasn't sure if he deserved the position. He was very young to be ascended to the rank of Master. He'd thought it would take at least until after Anakin was knighted, even if having a knighted Padawan wasn't technically a requirement for rising to the rank. However, the Council had felt that he'd put out enough fires over the years and stopped enough wars that he had achieved a mastery in his role of a diplomatic Guardian. 

"Master Windu, Master Yoda."

Mace's shoulders slumped forwards ever so slightly. 

"The Senate ruled to accept the Vode's deal," he admitted. "They've already chosen who will go with them."

That was a small relief at least. Obi-Wan couldn't imagine how awful it would have been for the Council to have to choose who they would be condemning. 

He waited patiently for them to announce which poor soul would be sent off to be isolated on a planet at the edge of the galaxy, but they just continued to look at him. 

It took him a few seconds to understand.

When it finally clicked, he wasn't completely able to stop the slump of his shoulders.

"I…see."

It made sense, really. The Senate had been looking for some way to punish Dooku, and with Dooku's cousin, the new Count of Serenno, vigorously denying any link to Dooku and stonewalling any effort the Senate made to explore reparations through that route, attacking his Jedi relations were the next best thing. They also needed a way to show the public that they were doing something about the situation instead of just letting the Jedi take control.

Dooku's padawan was dead, and they couldn't exactly order Yoda over… so Obi-Wan was the best remaining option.

Mace moved forward, sending a comfortingly warm pulse into the Force. "Obi-Wan…."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath.

"It's fine."

It really was. Better him than anyone else.

"How long?"

"… four days."

Obi-Wan looked down, taking a moment to gather his emotions, fear and worry churning in his gut. 

The Councillors gave him the few moments it took to collect himself and release his emotions, knowing that they would not help him.

"What of Anakin?" he questioned quietly.

The proposal very clearly stated that only the Jedi to be married was allowed to go, and even if it didn’t, Obi-Wan knew he wouldn't take Anakin there. He didn't deserve to be stuck with Obi-Wan, unable to complete his training when he was so close to being knighted. 

Plo stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I will complete his training."

Obi-Wan bowed his head. "Thank you."

Depa frowned. "Obi-Wan-"

"I should go tell Anakin… he should find out from me."

He looked up, meeting her eyes, seeing them tightened in sadness. 

She dipped her head into a nod and Po released his shoulder. 

Obi-Wan sent a thrum of gratitude through the Force at the warm comfort that followed him out of the room. 

\-----

Obi-Wan watched as the ship landed in the Temple Hangar, breathing slowly to centre himself and working hard to not let the anxiety show itself. 

"I don't like this, Master," Anakin muttered and Obi-Wan held back a sigh. 

At least he wasn't yelling anymore.

When Obi-Wan had first told him, Anakin hadn't understood, or, more accurately, he had let his emotions cloud his judgement, and, after a long outburst, had disappeared for the rest of the day. Although, he'd returned in the evening, the Force around him heavy with guilt. 

They'd spent the remaining three days together, Anakin helping him pack the few belongings he would take. He'd even meditated with Obi-Wan without complaint. 

"I know, Padawan," Obi-Wan murmured as the doors opened. 

He'd be leaving with them straight away, as they had already had their brief appearance in the Senate.

'Neither do I,' he admitted projecting the words across their bond. Anakin had always been better at doing than he was, but Obi-Wan had been making the effort to as much as he could in the last few days. 

Beside him, Anakin stiffened and Obi-Wan didn't need to look glance at him to know he was glaring at the three men walking down the ship's ramp. They were all wearing armour, the one in the front in white plastoid with blue painting, the one flanking him on his left wearing plastoid armour with yellow painting and the one on his right wearing what appeared to be actual beskar with blue highlights around the visor. All three of them had identical faces, even if the one in beskar looked a bit older and the one in the front had blond hair. However, they all shone very differently in the Force.

Mace stepped forward, bowing to them.

"Prince Rex, I assume," he said in lieu of an actual greeting, addressing the one in front. 

The Prince nodded, his features tight. "We're here to collect Master Kenobi."

There was no outward reaction from the Jedi in the hangar (the entire Council having come down to see Obi-Wan off, as well as more than a few of Obi-Wan's friends) but the Force thrummed with conflicted emotions, their discomfort at having such animosity aimed towards them, guilt at what had happened right under their noses, anger at what was happening and many more.

Obi-Wan stepped forward. 

"I'm ready."

The Prince looked to him, frowning. 

"Then let's go."

Obi-Wan nodded and went to move forward, his bag slung over his back. However, he paused when a wave of Anakin's despair hit him full force. 

He turned back, enveloping Anakin in a tight hug. Anakin froze for a second before he returned it. 

There were so many things that Obi-Wan wanted to say, so many things he would have done if he only had time. 

"I'm so proud of you, Anakin. I know you will be a great Jedi," he said quietly pulling backwards. 

Anakin's eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Master…"

Obi-Wan managed a wobbly smile. "My life's greatest regret will be not seeing you knighted. However, training you has been an honour that I will hold with me forever."

Anakin swallowed.

"Goodbye Master. Thank you for everything."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Goodbye Anakin. Be good for Master Plo. He is wise and he will lead you true if you listen to him."

With that, he stepped back, out of his padawan's embrace. 

Mace caught him on the shoulder as he passed him. 

"Goodbye Obi-Wan."

He nodded respectfully. "Goodbye, Mace."

He walked up to the three men, bowing respectfully. 

"Prince Rex."

The prince stared at him scrutinisingly for a few seconds before he took a step back, nodding. 

"Come on. Our king is waiting."

As the men turned, Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut. 

He forced himself not to look back as he walked up the ship.

However, he couldn't quite stop his slight flinch as the door shut behind him. 

He was entirely at their mercy now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you like it?
> 
> And thank you so much for all your comments so far.
> 
> Stuff is going to get worse before it's going to get better. :(
> 
> None of the Vode like Obi-Wan.
> 
> What do you think their reactions are going to be to him?


	3. Obi-Wan is in Deep Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip back.
> 
> Otherwise known as the beginning of why I say this fic is a slightly darker take on the original oneshot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for choking (the non sexy kind) and for threats of bodily harm.

Obi-Wan sat meditating in the small quarters he had been given on the ship.

As soon as he got on, the prince had curtly sent him in there and no one had come to tell him anything since. After about twenty minutes, Obi-Wan had decided to meditate, seeing as there was little else he could do.

Sinking into the Force gave Obi-Wan some relief from the anger that thrummed through the ship, and sent uncomfortable prickling through Obi-Wan's mind.

He breathed deeply, letting the Force flow through him.

As they got further from Coruscant, and the comforting energy of the Temple, charged by layer upon layer of Force signature, Obi-Wan sunk deeper to distract himself.

He was startled back to present when the door opened and the man in the yellow painted armour peered his head in.

Obi-Wan looked up at him from where he was seated on the bed.

The man frowned down at him.

"Yes?"

"It's dinner time," the man grunted.

Surprised, Obi-Wan glanced at the chrono in the room. He must have sunk deeper than he thought if he'd lost so much time.

"Ah, so it is."

Cautiously, Obi-Wan stood, closely monitoring the man in front of him to ensure he was making the right moves. The man gestured Obi-Wan past him, following closely behind him.

The back of Obi-Wan's neck prickled at leaving his back exposed but he forced himself not to reach for his lightsaber, which was still clipped to his belt.

When he got there, the prince, the man in beskar armour and another man in white with blue painted armour that must have been the pilot were already sitting at the table.

Obi-Wan sat down in one of the two empty chairs, and waited, unsure of what to do. This wasn't some diplomatic mission he could negotiate his way out of. He wasn't captured by an enemy, at least not one the Jedi or the Republic could afford to fight. There was no escape. He was completely at their mercy and had to accept whatever they did to him, or had him do, as long as it didn't cause harm to Republic citizens or innocent civilians.

After a few moments of tense silence, in which no one touched the food in front of them, the prince shifted slightly.

Obi-Wan forced himself not to stiffen noticeably.

"Well," the prince began stiffly. "You already know me, Kenobi, but you should know the rest of us."

He nodded at the man in the yellow painted armour. "This is Lord Bly - Secretary of External Affairs."

He nodded at the other one in blue-painted armour. "This is Captain Hawk, our pilot."

He nodded at the last one, the man in beskar armour. "And this is Jango Fett, Royal Advisor. You should meet the guards at some point in the next few days."

Obi-Wan nodded but he couldn't help the way his entire body stilled when he heard the name. He knew he looked older than the rest, but his mind hadn't made the connection, too occupied with worrying about his future and about Anakin.

Fett smiled sharply at him but didn't say anything as cold dread pooled in the pit of Obi-Wan's gut.

He was royally screwed.

No, he needed to breath. The fear wouldn't help him. He just needed to stay calm.

Fear leads to anger leads to hatred leads to suffering.

So, he needed to release the fear, instead of clinging to it. It was something he had never quite managed to get Anakin to do instinctively. One of his many failings as a teacher. He would never get the chance teach Anakin the lesson properly now. He only hoped Plo would have more success. If Anakin opened up to him.

"Thank you, Prince Rex," he managed to say as neutrally as possible as he dipped his head respectfully.

The prince frowned, narrowing his eyes. Obi-Wan met his glare with a passive look of his own, keeping his head lowered.

He couldn't fight this, so the only thing to do was to appear as unthreatening as possible.

Eventually the prince grunted and began eating, which prompted the others to do the same.

Obi-Wan picked at his food, forcing himself to eat as much as his churning gut could take. It was good quality and decently prepared but Obi-Wan's first response to discomfort was always to lose his appetite. He wished he had some tea to settle his stomach, but he didn't dare ask for it. He had no idea how far he could push these people, and he didn't want to start testing the waters over anything so trivial as his own comfort.

He forced the food down his throat, keeping his eyes downcast and expression neutral as he did so. They didn't appear to want to hurt him at that moment, but he had no idea what his future might hold, and he wasn't stupid enough to refuse a meal when he wasn't assured of getting another one in the close future. He'd been on too many missions gone bad for that.

After that, he was guided (or rather marched) back to his room, Bly casting a glare at him before he closed the door, no doubt locking it, though Obi-Wan didn't bother testing. There was no reason for him to.

Obi-Wan was too keyed up to sleep, even though he knew he should, so he began meditating again. However, before he could properly sink into the Force, his door was being opened again.

His stomach dropped when Jango Fett walked into the room.

Well, at least they wouldn't be easing into the torture. He preferred it when they went hard from the start.

He didn't bother standing up as Fett stalked forward, coming to a stop less than a metre away from him, glaring down at him with his arms crossed. The pure, unfiltered hatred emanating from the man caused Obi-Wan's head to throb, his shields being eroded as if acid was being thrown against them.

Obi-Wan tilted his head up, leaning backwards so he could meet Fett's glare head on.

Fett broke the silence first.

"You know I can _legally_ do whatever I want to you?"

Obi-Wan swallowed. "Yes."

Fett grinned darkly.

"The Vode hate the Jedi, but I bet you already know that, don't you?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"You know I hate you."

"Yes."

"Do you know why?"

Obi-Wan almost flinched. "Of course."

Galidraan was a blot on the Jedi's past that couldn't be erased. The situation with the Vode was almost worse. Force, he still couldn't believe a Jedi Master had thought that a slave army was a good idea, regardless of what he thought was on the line.

Fett leaned down and Obi-Wan locked his muscles so he wouldn't shy backwards.

"You're very lucky the king and his court have ruled that torture his prohibited on Vodera."

Obi-Wan stared up at him, his mind not quite understanding the phrase.

"What your Order condemned the Vode to… what you - what Dooku - did to my people is unforgiveable. If the Court ever change their mind, know that I will be the first person in your cell."

Obi-Wan's stomach twisted and he suppressed a shudder.

"I understand," he said, dropping his eyes.

That seemed to only make Fett angrier and he growled, straightening back up.

Obi-Wan wanted to apologise, to explain. However, he knew that nothing he said could make it better. So, he remained silent, as calm and innocuous as possible.

Fett refocused his expression on Obi-Wan, stepping back and holding out his hand.

"Give me your weapon."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened slightly at that.

"My saber?"

"You think I'm going to trust you with that death stick, _jetii_?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "Under Republic Law, I will be unable to hurt anyone on Vodera unless ordered to by your king. To do otherwise would be to invite punishment on the entire Jedi Order."

"And under Republic Law you have to do what you are ordered to by the government. The prince doesn't trust you armed either," Fett replied fiercely. "Now _give me your weapon._ "

Obi-Wan sucked in a breath, and then sighed, his shoulders falling forwards slightly.

He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt but Fett didn't move forward to grab it from his hand, forcing Obi-Wan to stand up from his bed to hand it to him. The Force around Obi-Wan twisted discomfortingly, whispering to him in warning, but Obi-Wan had no choice but to ignore it.

Fett snatched the saber from Obi-Wan, and then brought his free hand up to tangle in his tunics, jerking him forward and around as he slammed him into the wall. Hard.

Obi-Wan gasped shallowly as the air was knocked out of him, pain blooming along his back.

"You listen to me," Fett growled leaning in close as his hand shifted upwards so that his forearm was pressing against Obi-Wan's throat.

"You will not _touch_ the ade, the cadets on Vodera. You will not even go _near_ them unless you are explicitly ordered to, do you understand me?"

All Obi-Wan could manage from his position was a slight jerk of his head.

"And," Fett added, pressing down harder and fully cutting off Obi-Wan's air supply. "You will not _look_ at my son. Boba will not speak to you and he will not see you. If I hear that he does, you will not be safe from me."

Obi-Wan tried to breath, but couldn't, choking on the arm at his throat.

"Jango."

Fett glanced to the side as Bly appeared in the doorway.

"What?" he growled.

Bly stared at them for a few moments and Obi-Wan brought his hands up to Fett's arm as his vision began to blur.

"Rex only told you to get the saber. Come on."

Fett hesitated for only a moment before he took a half a step back, releasing his pressure on Obi-Wan's throat. Before he pulled away fully, Fett shoved Obi-Wan back against the wall and then strode out of the room.

Obi-Wan only barely managed to keep his feet under him, his knees feeling weak as he leant against the wall for support, sucking in shuddering gasps that shook through his shoulders.

Bly stared at him for a few seconds before he too left. Once the door was shut, Obi-Wan allowed himself to slide down the wall, leaning his head back against it as he gasped oxygen back into his lungs.

\-----

Rex didn't know what to think about the Jedi.

He knew he couldn't trust Kenobi. He really did. He knew what the Jedi were. He'd heard Jango describe them, and he'd read the articles on the holonet. They were emotionless, detached, arrogant.

They weren't interested in engaging with the outside world, instead invested in their own moral crusade and to do whatever the Senate bade them. They didn't care about lowly lifeforms like him.

And, on the surface, Kenobi seemed to meet those expectations.

He was impassive, didn’t engage in conversation (though any efforts to would have been met with no success), and spent most of his time sitting with his eyes closed - meditating - if Rex remembered what it was called correctly.

However, that didn't quite seem right to Rex.

He knew how to read emotions, no matter how well hidden. The long necks had stopped allowing them such 'weakness' as expressing emotions at some point in his training, so Rex had gotten very good at reading the small signs. It had taken his vode months to shake off that aspect of the training, and some still struggled with it.

A few of them, like Cody and Fox, hadn't become more expressive at all, but that was just how they were. Some people were just more reserved than others.

And Kenobi was very reserved.

But not unfeeling, Rex thought.

He could read the slight tightening of Kenobi's shoulders whenever one of them got too close. The small downturn of his lips when he looked out the windows of the ship. He'd thought seeing a Jedi scared and upset would feel better.

He'd seen Kenobi with the kid. The way he'd clung to him, had heard the murmured words between them from his position only a few metres away.

He could see how miserable Kenobi was.

None of the Court really believed that the Jedi Order knew nothing about their creation. That their claims that this was all at the behest of a single, rogue Jedi, without the input of any others, was true.

But it didn't stop this from feeling wrong.

Rex slowly opened the door to Kenobi's room, seeing the Jedi glance up from where he had been sitting on the floor, staring at a small stone in his lap. The man still had very faint bruise marks around his throat. Though, from what Bly said, they shouldn't have healed that quickly.

The Jedi gave him a small, diplomatic smile.

"Hello, Prince Rex."

Rex pressed his lips together.

"We're coming out of hyperspace in ten minutes."

Kenobi's features tightened for a moment before he dipped his head in a deferential nod.

"Thank you for informing me."

Rex looked at him for a few seconds, unsure of what else to say. It's not like the Jedi could get dressed into something nicer to meet his husband for the first time. He'd worn the identical beige tunics with a dark brown robe the entire time he'd been on the ship. The classic Jedi uniform, though he had spotted a few Jedi wearing other outfits when they touched down in the hangar.

"What would you like me to do once we get to Vodera?" Kenobi asked quietly.

Rex frowned. They hadn't really talked about what would happen after they'd completed the plan.

"We have quarters prepared for you. I suspect you'll be taken there."

Cody had refused to even entertain the thought of some sort of ceremony. The appropriate paperwork had been signed and filed. They were already married in the eyes of the Senate. They didn't need to do anything else.

Kenobi nodded with another one of those small, charming smiles. "Thank you, Prince Rex."

Rex paused, gave an awkward nod and then retreated quickly from the room.

He shook his head as he closed the door behind him. He couldn't afford to harbour regrets about this. They had been necessary to secure the safety of his vode.

Any sympathy he was feeling for the Jedi was erased when exited the ship and was met with the tense faces of his vode and Cody's hard, distrusting expression as he eyed his new Jedi husband. Rex reminded himself of what the Jedi did to them, remembered the hell that had been training, remembered watching his batchmates slaughtered for any slight imperfection.

They couldn't trust this Jedi and he didn't deserve any of their sympathy.

He needed to focus on protecting his vode, on making sure they all survived, on supporting Cody as he led them all into the future.

Nothing else mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments! They're very motivating. 
> 
> So, I'll probably be blending Canon and Legends a bit for the timeline/backstory of this fic. If you want to know if a certain event happened and I haven't already stated it, just ask in the comments, and I'll answer you if I don't already plan to address it later,
> 
> Again, thank you all so much for your support. I love to hear what you think is gonna happen next in the fic or stuff that you want to see happen.


	4. King Cody Meets his Husband

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why don't we take a turn about the grounds?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day later than usual. I've had important tests this week and this morning's one was an essay so I spent last night writing stuff for that instead of my fic.

The Jedi had been there for three weeks.

For the entire time, he'd been restricted to his quarters, with a full guard posted outside the door, in case he caused any trouble. He hadn't.

In fact, he hadn't done much at all.

They'd set up cameras in his small living and dining area to monitor his activity. Although, they hadn't gone so far as to put any in his bedroom or freshers as that felt like too much of a violation. None of the Court or analysts really wanted to see the Jetii naked or relieving himself, even if they didn't trust him further than a cadet could throw him.

The only problem was that the Jetii hadn't done anything of note. At all.

He spent all of his days doing one of three things: meditating, reading one of the two books they had put in his room (both of which had already been in there since they had adapted his quarters from one of the lower clearance scientists' ones and were terribly boring tomes containing information that could be easily accessed to them through the records kept in their internal holonet systems and vast archives) or doing complicated sequences of movements that appeared to be some form of training. Cody didn't recognise most of them, although he could see similarities in a few of them to some of the hand-to-hand and beskad exercises Jango had taught them to do.

The Jedi didn't spend suspicious amounts of time in either the bedroom or fresher. Really, he spent almost a suspiciously low amount of time in them, only barely in the room long enough to have gotten the healthy amount of sleep.

He didn’t even karking ask for anything.

Cody knew that his husband knew that he couldn't escape. Not that he was physically unable to, but rather that, politically, the Jedi couldn't afford him to, as any action he took against Vodera could used as grounds for punishing the Jedi Order as a whole.

But he hadn't expected _this_.

By all accounts from the guards that delivered his food and collected his plates, Kenobi was polite and genial, at first attempting to engage them in conversation, but quickly backing down when he was stonewalled. He didn't attempt to approach them, he didn't ask for different food (despite the fact that he had never finished a meal and was seeming to eat less and less as his… stay went on) and he didn't protest the daily inspection of his rooms.

Inspections which turned up nothing every time. The rooms were always neat and the only items that the Jedi had seemed to bring into the rooms were his clothes and basic toiletries was a smooth black stone and a small holoprojector that could only project copies of photos and some videos, all of which seemed to be of inane instances in the Jedi's life. There hadn't even been a commlink for them to confiscate.

Of course, they couldn't trust him. The Jedi was either trying to trick them and lull them into a false sense of security before he struck or was only bothering to hide his disdain for fear of what they might to do him.

Not that they _were_ going to do anything to him. Even if they wanted to.

It had been a long meeting with many arguments, but eventually the Court had all come to an agreement that they wouldn't go down that path. No matter how much they wanted to hurt the Jedi for what his people had let them experience.

Though Cody wasn't confident that all the vode held that opinion, none of them were calling for the Jedi's torture.

Yet.

He could feel tension rising within his vode the longer they knew the Jedi was with them, all of them waiting to hear something about him, or even just glimpse him.

"You should go see him."

If he had any less control, Cody would have jumped out of his skin. Instead, he turned and shot Rex a dark glare.

"Kriff off."

Rex just raised his eyebrows. "You should. He's your husband after all."

Cody rolled his eyes and scowled as he turned back to the video feed of the Jedi that was constantly playing in one of the smaller meeting rooms. (He'd let Owl, one of the junior security officers, have a small break from his watch whilst he went in to examine it.) He hated being reminded that he was married to a kriffing Jedi.

"You should take him for a walk. You wouldn't want him to go crazy."

Cody raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hey, you remember how bad survival training was."

Cody snorts. "We're giving him everything he needs to live."

Rex rolled his eyes. "You and I both know it was the isolation that caused more fails in the unit than anything else."

Two months in a survival simulation alone was tough for anyone. The long necks had gotten so many failures in that training unit that they had stopped decommissioning brothers for failing it and instead used it as a marker to move certain vod onto more advanced trainings.

"We're not-"

Cody broke off with a growl. One of the main reasons they'd ultimately decided not to hurt the Jedi, to torture him until they'd dragged the admission that the Order had in fact known about their creation and the statement they had released denying their knowledge or approval of it was complete banthashit, was because they wanted to separate themselves from the demolgaka.

They weren't them. They would never sink to their level.

"I didn't mean…," Rex huffed. "You know I would never say that, Codes."

Rex sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm just saying it might be good for you to have at least a conversation with him and take him around. It would be good for the vode to see that we have a handle on him. They're starting to get antsy. The rumours are getting ridiculous."

Cody held back a snort. That, at least, was true. He'd heard everything from stories about the Jedi escaping to ones claiming he'd been so powerful that they'd had to lock him away in a box somewhere in the underground levels of the Primary Base, what they'd decided to call the capitol dwelling of Vodera.

Rex looked between Cody and the Jedi, who was sitting perfectly still on the two-person couch in his living area, legs crossed and back straight.

Cody scowled and pushed back from the screen.

"Fine!" he growled. "I'll go take the karking _jetii_ for a karking walk!"

Cody was aware of Rex very obviously _not_ laughing as he practically marched out of the room.

He'd managed to mostly calm down by the time he got to the hallway that held Jedi's room, sliding what most of the Court called the 'Commander mask' on as he strode up it.

Both guards straightened as he approached, saluting him.

He paused with his hand on the handle, swallowing down irrational nervousness before he opened the door, walking confidently into the room.

The Jedi didn't move as he walked up to the couch, staying in his position, eyes closed and back straight. Cody frowned, feeling a spike of anger as he continued to be ignored even as he got closer.

He came to a stop less than a metre away from the Jedi, glaring down at him imposingly but there was still no reaction.

This had become a battle of wills to see who would break first, and it most certainly wasn't going to be Cody. So, he decided to take the opportunity to closely examine the Jedi for the first time.

The first thing that caught his attention was the stone the guards had mentioned. Not because it was anything remarkable, but because it was floating. It was only hovering a few centimetres above his palms but it was clearly floating of its own accord, or, rather, the Jedi was making it float.

Cody dragged his eyes away from the spectacle to look at the Jedi.

His features were arranged in a small frown that could only barely be seen through his beard, his eyes clenched shut too tightly to be really relaxed. The set of his shoulders was tense and raised higher than they would have naturally sat, though he was completely still except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

Cody frowned.

The Jedi _still_ hadn't acknowledged him.

Could it be…?

No, Cody wouldn't give in.

But he _did_ have things he had to get done today. He briefly considered just marching out of the room, but he didn’t think he could face his vod if didn't even get the Jedi to _look_ at him. This whole interaction was surely being watched closely by the whole Court.

Kriff him, he was going to break first.

Glowering, Cody cleared his throat.

The Jedi jolted, his eyes snapping open and the stone flying into the air before it fell back into the Jedi's lap.

His head swung around before his gaze locked onto Cody. His eyes widened, before he was jumping to his feet, bowing deeply.

"My apologies, King Cody. I must have… People don't usually…"

The Jedi broke off, glancing down and taking a breath before he looked back up.

"As I said, my apologies," the Jedi said, keeping his head angled slightly downwards in a submissive, deferential posture. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

Taken entirely off guard by the Jedi's reaction, Cody took a moment to react.

Eventually, he cleared his throat. "Yes, well… I've come to visit you."

The Jedi nodded but didn't say anything in reply.

"I'm going to take you out… for a walk."

Cody winced internally. That made it sound like he was a pet.

The Jedi's face slackened in shock. He still didn't say anything.

Cody frowned.

"Would you rather stay here?"

The Jedi flinched.

"No!" he answered urgently before he visibly checked himself, taking another deep breath. "I'm sorry. It seems I've become out of practice at… reacting to people. I would greatly enjoy taking a walk with you."

Cody nodded and turned with a grunt, unsure of what else to do. After a second, he heard the Jedi following behind him.

Cody exited the room and was met with a contingent of his own guards, the gold paint on their armour symbolising the fact that they worked only for him. All the Court as well as the rest of the Clone Commanders had their own colours which their subordinates wore with a vicious pride. Though, those troopers that didn't work directly under Commanders tended to blend colours in their armour, some even choosing not to wear full armour.

Cody recognised the identical patterns of Waxer and Boil's armour as well as Longshot, and Wooley, who was a new addition to his Company.

Rex must have sent them.

They saluted to him as he exited the room and it occurred to Cody that he might not have entirely thought this through. He hid a scowl. Rex was the only one could get him that worked up.

He hesitated for only a second before making off towards the Mess Hall. He figured he needed to go somewhere crowded, which gave him three options: the Mess, the construction sites or the training grounds, and he didn’t want to cause a distraction on the site or risk the Jedi gathering any information regarding their combat strategies.

The Jedi was silent as he walked with him, a pace behind him, though Cody could see him glancing around out of the corner of his eye. He was sure that his troopers were cutting glances at the strange figure from beneath their helmets, but outwardly, they were projecting the image of perfectly disciplined soldiers.

After a few minutes, they walked out onto the overhead walkway that looked down on the platform, Cody slowing down to give the Vode time to notice them. The Jedi stared downwards, eyes raking over the sea of men eating their food.

"There's a lot of us, isn't there?" Cody asked, and immediately cringed.

He didn't really know what to say, but he hadn't wanted there to be silence anymore.

The Jedi nodded absentmindedly. "It reminds me of the Temple."

He shut up immediately after saying that, glancing at Cody quickly before he looked back down. Cody, himself felt a spike of anger and shock stab through his heart at the comparison.

By the time they were halfway across of the walkway, people were starting to notice their presence, a ripple going through the crowd as his vode all started looking up at them. Even from where Cody was, it was obvious a hush had fallen over the hall.

As they got to the end of the walkway, Cody felt the tension bleed from his shoulders. Now that was done, he could lead them back to the room, but he didn't want to just turn around and submit himself to the combined gawking of a full Mess Hall so he started leading them on a roundabout path back to the Jedi's room.

At one point, he noticed the Jedi start to flag behind him and he felt his heart rate increase. He carefully looked back, hand on his blaster, ready for an attack, only to find the Jedi staring at the greenhouses, which they were passing. The man seemed to unconsciously drift closer to the plants, completely entranced.

The greenhouses were a new addition to the Primary Base. The long necks had been happy to give them their nutritional requirements entirely in the form of ration bars and bland vitamin pastes, but the Vode had wanted to vary their diet, which had led to the creation of the ginormous, artificially heated farming grounds that dominated a large section of the barracks. Jango had helped provide many of the initial seeds to get the projects started and, now, they had a large variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as a sizeable garden for the vode who had green thumbs to tend to.

That was another complication.

The older vode, especially the Commanders, couldn't forget what Jango had done _to_ them. However, he had also done so much _for_ them. More for them than anyone else had.

Cody, himself, couldn't entirely trust the former Mand'alor. But he couldn't afford to reject his help, didn't _want_ to reject his help.

Cody shared a glance with Waxer, who also had a hand on his blaster, all of Cody's guard having slowed down to keep pace with the Jedi.

It took a few moments for him to notice, but when the Jedi did realise that the party had essentially stopped for him, he tore his eyes away from the plants, hurrying back to Cody's side so they could resume their earlier pace.

"My apologies," he said, bowing his head, though not quick enough to hide the slight blush in his cheeks. "I… like plants."

Despite himself, Cody felt the urge to smile.

"I couldn't tell."

The Jedi jerked his head up, eyes widening for a second before a small smile settled over his features.

Cody found himself desperately wanting the conversation to carry on as they continued walked. The anger at the Jed was still there, but there was also the burning curiosity he remembered from his youth, when he and his batchmates would stay up late and whisper together about what their Jedi would be like.

"What's with the stone?"

Only Cody's remarkable self-control stopped him from hitting himself in the face. He was pretty sure Rex hadn't meant that, when he'd implied that Cody should interrogate his husband.

The Jedi frowned a second before his features smoothed back into the calm mask he seemed to always wear.

"My Master gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday," he said carefully, glancing carefully at Cody to gage his reaction.

Cody stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"It's significance is hard to describe to someone who can't use the Force but it feels… warm," the Jedi continued hesitantly. "It helps with meditation. I gifted it to my own padawan on his thirteenth birthday but Anakin insisted I take it with me when…"

The Jedi trailed off, eyes flickering down awkwardly and they fell into another awkward silence that lasted until they got back to the Jedi's room.

The pale man hesitated on the threshold, glancing back at Cody.

"Thank you," he said, that same small smile from before flickering onto his face. "I greatly appreciated this, your highness."

Cody found himself still staring at the door for a few seconds after it closed.

Waxer cleared his throat. "Sir, I think you have a scheduled meeting with Lord Ponds and Lord Wolffe?"

Cody blinked. "Right. Yes I do."

He shook his surprise off as he walked away. That was not what he was expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support. I'm really loving writing this and I love all your comments where you talk about what you think is going to happen in the fic, or scenes that you imagine happening. 
> 
> How do you like Cody's reaction?


	5. In Which Obi-Wan is All of Us Here in 2020

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine sucks.

Obi-Wan was frankly embarrassed at just how excited he was when the King entered his chambers exactly a week after his last outing.

His time so far on Vodera had been both better and worse than he'd anticipated.

Better because he'd half expected to be tortured, even after Fett had informed him that it wasn't allowed on Vodera. During those first few days, Obi-Wan's thoughts had been spiralling around everything they could do to him. 

At first, Obi-Wan had feared that the king that the king would attempt to 'consummate' the marriage.

It's not that Obi-Wan didn't like sex. He had engaged in it quite often in his younger days, before all his time had been consumed balancing Anakin's training and his duties as a Jedi Knight. It wasn't even fear of breaking the Code. He knew a few of his friends had had dalliances that had lasted a while, though only a handful had lasted longer than a few months. Though, he knew that Siri and her partner - a female Chalactan knight named Crena - had been going strong for a couple years.

Jedi were allowed to have relationships, they were just not allowed to form attachments. One of the reasons Jedi were generally not allowed to marry was because it implied a greater attachment to their partner than it did to the Order. Relationships were discouraged unless the Jedi in question had conferred with multiple Masters regarding their capabilities to engage in said relationship without attachment and if they were able to let go of the person they were entangled with if they needed to. If the relationship was approved, it certainly wasn't broadcasted and rather kept as a private affair.

Of course, those rules all went out the window in Obi-Wan's situation.

Regardless, even if Obi-Wan had been inclined to have sex with his captor, he wouldn't be in the mood.

He was fairly sure that this was entirely unintentional on their own part, but being surrounded by people who hated him left him constantly on edge. The particular spikes of anger that happened every so often (presumably when his guards remembered just who they were watching, and were reminded of their very justifiable reasons to hate the Jedi) would leave him with a dull, throbbing ache in the back of his head.

Obi-Wan hadn't quite been able to anticipate just how _lonely_ it was going to be out here.

He'd never been on his own, away from other Jedi, this long. He'd lived in the Temple as long as he could remember, always surrounded by the comforting Force signatures of the other Jedi, and on missions, he had always had Qui-Gon and then Anakin with him. The solo missions in the first few years of Knighthood, before Anakin was neither old enough nor ready to go with him, were always completed knowing that he would be able to return home at the end of them. Force, even on those occasions when he had been captured, and was entirely at the mercy of whatever sadist wanted to 'play' with a Jedi, even when he had been cut off from the Force by particularly savvy jailers, he had always at least had the notion of escaping to occupy him, or the hope of rescue.

He had no such hope in this situation.

At least they hadn't blocked him from the Force.

That meant that he could still feel the other Jedi in the galaxy, the warm threads that connected them all through the Force. But that was almost worse, feeling them there, just out of reach.

Meditation, and reaching out to those connections had become less and less comforting the longer his stay went on.

He knew that he was suffering the effects of his isolation. He'd experienced solitary confinement when a particularly angry party had gotten their hands on him after him and his master had successfully negotiated a peaceful resolution to a civil war that said party was profiting from.

This, of course, was not nearly as bad as those few months had been, stuck in his tiny, bare room that had only been big enough to hold a toilet and a thin cot that was too small for him to comfortably sleep on. However, Obi-Wan could recognise the signs that he was beginning to crack.

He'd tried to keep a strict routine, relying heavily on the chrono in his room as well as the thrice daily meals that were delivered to him like clockwork, to ensure that he was sticking to it. He made himself sit in bed by a certain time and didn’t leave his room until a set hour in the morning. He ensured that he split his days between meditating, katas, and reading, changing up which positions and movements he did each day to give himself some variation.

However, nothing he did could distract him from the aching loneliness that throbbed inside his chest.

He reached into his mind to run a sliver of his Force presence over the bond he had with Anakin. This far away from him, Obi-Wan couldn't hope to send or receive anything across the bond, but he could still faintly feel the thrum of Anakin's life force, blindingly bright. If he really concentrated, he could just barely discern another one branching out from Anakin, signifying the successful creation of a Master /Padawan bond between his padawan and Plo.

It was really rather ironic that Anakin was only now properly opening up to him after years of shutting him out. He wouldn't be able to feel the tie with Plo, or Anakin at all if Anakin was still filtering the bond like he had started to over the past few years.

Anakin had taken down the complicated webbed shields that had stopped many of his thoughts and emotions being transmitted to Obi-Wan on the day after they'd found out Obi-Wan would be leaving. Obi-Wan had implored his padawan to do a joint meditation with him, allowing himself to push at Anakin where he usually allowed his padawan the privacy he'd assumed he needed.

When, for the first time in almost three years, Obi-Wan fully stretched through Anakin's Force presence, intending to take comfort from being truly in touch with their bond one last time, he found flickers of oily darkness specked through his padawan's mind.

A Sith Lord had been tainting his padawan. He didn't know what hurt more: the fact that Obi-Wan hadn't noticed it happening, or the fact that Anakin had refused to talk to him about the doubts that Palpatine had sowed in his mind. The former Sith Lord had been telling Anakin lies about Obi-Wan and the Order, spreading pressures about how they forbade true romantic love and about how he would be punished if he became too close with those around him.

And now Obi-Wan was powerless to help fix his mistakes. To help Anakin overcome this hurdle and take his last few steps towards knighthood.

On top of that, he was also unable to help mend the frayed ties between the Jedi and the Senate. The delicate web that had kept the Republic together was threatening to break, and he could do nothing about it.

Obi-Wan stamped down on the worry clenching his heart.

He blinked a few times.

There, that was one of the symptoms of isolation he was starting to experience. Increased anxiety. It was harder and harder to release it through meditation. He'd get lost in the spiralling of his thoughts.

No matter how hard he tried to keep that schedule, Obi-Wan found himself sleeping less, and he found it continuously more difficult to eat with the increased anxiety he was feeling.

The walk last week had managed to relieve some of the tension he felt for a day or so and he had attempted to squash the hope that it would happen again, but failed to stop himself from counting down the days.

Now, he found himself sitting cross-legged on the couch, like he had a week ago, only half concentrating as he read through one of his two holobooks - a two thousand page encyclopedia on local marine fauna - for the third time.

His head immediately snapped up when the door opened, exactly one hour and fifteen minutes after his lunch had been served, just like the week before.

He was on his feet before the king could fully cross the room, bowing as he felt his heart leap into his throat.

"Your highness," he greeted clamping down on his excitement so it wouldn't cause his voice to tremble.

King Cody gave him a tight nod.

Obi-Wan waited for him to speak, not wanting to do anything to agitate the king even further.

He could feel the waves of uncertainty, confusion and anger rolling off him and knew that any little mistake he made could have dire consequences.

The king frowned before he turned and walked out of the room. Obi-Wan carefully followed him, ready to retreat at any indication that he wasn't supposed to be.

He hesitated just outside his door, glancing around at the guards, recognising the Force signatures of four of them as the ones from the week before. However, this week, there were two more, guards, both emitting prickly anger and distrust that sent spikes down his spine.

It didn't matter. He was used to the feeling by now, as well as the way it sent a tightness through his shoulders that could never seem to release.

The king set off in the same direction as he did last time, though he diverted their route before they got to the walkway that opened out over the mess hall.

Thank the Force for small blessings. He had never liked being the centre of so much attention, especially the kind of incredulous gawking followed by muted hatred that he'd felt come from the crowd. He wasn't under the illusion that he wouldn't be subjected to the same kind of attention wherever he went within the facility, but it shouldn't be nearly as bad as the Mess.

Eventually they exited the main building, coming out onto huge open platform with the bones of two towers at the end of it. Obi-Wan raked his eyes over them, taking in their multiple levels and the large amounts of soil being carried up to them.

They were making vertical gardens.

He paused as he got there, the appreciative awe at the Vode's ingenuity clashing with the sudden churning he felt in his gut.

King Cody glanced back at hm, raising his eyebrow.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, voice clipped and curt.

Obi-Wan quickly shook his head, speeding up to match his pace as they meandered their way through the construction site. Obi-Wan glanced around and found the city being expanded at multiple different points around the Primary Base.

They continued down the platform, the Force around Obi-Wan becoming more and more restless.

They were just reaching the section between the two platforms, when Obi-Wan felt a jolt shoot down his spine.

The Force screamed at him a second before lightning arched out of the sky, striking one of the cranes to their left directly in the hydraulics at the base of the arm, causing sparks to go flying as the machine shorted out.

An image of the arm swinging down, knocking into the building flashed before Obi-Wan's eyes and he managed to raise his arms, summoning the Force around him and directing it towards the arm before it could fall more than a metre.

At the same time, the beams from the cable came crashing down and Obi-Wan only barely managed to catch the clone that had been balancing on the beam before he could hit the ground. He set the man down as carefully as he could afford to before he refocused all his attention on the crane, already beginning to feel the strain of holding something so heavy.

The men around him were silent, shock radiating off them as they all processed what had happened.

Obi-Wan shuffled his feet, bending his knees to set his stance firmer. The crane gave a deep metallic groan as it was prevented from doing what gravity would dictate.

"King Cody," Obi-Wan ground out, clenching his eyes shut as he redoubled his efforts on the arm. "Can you please ask the operator to move the crane so that when it swings down it does not damage anything or injure anyone?"

The king, bless him, nodded right away and began barking off orders that Obi-Wan didn't listen to, instead bowing his head as he felt his arms begin to shake underneath the strain. He sunk into the Force, letting it flow through him and bolster him.

After what could have been hours, but was probably no more than a few minutes, the king was talking to him, his focused attention pricking at Obi-Wan's senses and pulling him out of the light trance he'd slipped into.

"They're ready to move it, will you be able to follow it?" he asked, peering at Obi-Wan seriously.

Obi-Wan swallowed, letting out a sharp breath.

"If you tell me where you're moving and do it slowly - then yes," he said as sparks began to zap across his nerve endings.

The king nodded. "Okay, I'll set my come right next to you so you can hear, alright?"

Obi-Wan managed a nod even though it felt like his brain was melting.

The king held his wrist comm close to Obi-Wan's ear, pressing a button on it. "Alright, Lofty, you're good to go, just work slowly and explain to us what you're doing."

"Affirmative, General."

The Force was with them - Lofty proved incredibly competent, going at just the right pace that Obi-Wan was able to follow his movements, every part of his body screaming at him to let it go.

Finally, after countless small adjustments as they inched away from danger, the comm buzzed one final time.

"And we're out of range, sirs. It's clear to be dropped."

Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open, almost not believing the assessment as he looked to King Cody for confirmation.

The king nodded and Obi-Wan sighed, gradually letting the arm swing down, though the centre of gravity was still so thrown off that the whole machine shuddered and shook, swaying dangerously in a way that made him glad the platform around it had been cleared.

Unable to stop himself, Obi-Wan sunk down onto one knee, panting heavily as he leant his head against the propped up knee.

After a few moments of scuffling, the king knelt down in front of him.

"Are you… okay?"

Obi-Wan blinked. His head no longer felt like it was being attacked by an axe, the pain having dulled to a sharp pounding that was not unlike what he'd felt after being bashed over the head with a metal bar.

"Fine," he ground out before flinching.

"I mean. I'm sorry," he rushed to amend himself. "I will be up in a few moments. Just _please_ let me catch my breath first."

"Of - Of course," Kind Cody stammered out before he stood back up, directing his attention to the others surrounding them, presumably to give orders.

Obi-Wan's vision swam. He had not been prepared for something so strenuous. It would have been a big ask on a good day, requiring a few days of rest afterwards, but after the combination of having not meditated properly and his messed up eating and sleeping habits, it had almost knocked him out.

He was just glad he'd managed to keep it up long enough to stop anyone from getting hurt.

He focused on getting his breathing under control, managing to slow it down so his breaths no longer rasped through his chest.

The king kneeled down again an indeterminate amount of time later.

"Are you ready?"

Obi-Wan nodded, pushing himself to his feet.

Immediately, he knew that that was a bad idea. His vision blurred and he stumbled, only for someone to catch him around the arm, steadying him. A jolt went through him at the contact and he pulled away, only just managing to keep his feet.

"I'm… I'm alright," he stuttered, eyes flickering towards the king, who had been the one to grab him. "My apologies."

He was grateful for the slow pace they assumed as the king and his guard escorted him back to his room. He leant heavily against the door as it was closed behind him, the control of his body, which he'd been maintaining only through sheer stubbornness, leaving him.

He was forced to use the wall as a crutch as he made his way to the bedroom, falling onto the mattress and passing out as soon as he hit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?
> 
> What do you think is gonna happen next?


	6. Just a Whole lot of Arguing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan is tired just like the author.

"He is dangerous!"

"He saved dozens of us, we can't punish for that!"

"Well, what if he hadn't. Imagine what he could do to us!"

"Does it look like he's going to hurt us?"

Cody rubbed his temples as Rex and Wolffe yelled, glaring at each other from across the table. Cody was grateful for its presence at that moment because if it wasn't there, he was sure that there would be a physical fight on his hands, instead of the shouting match he was currently being subjected to.

He glanced to his side, where a few screens had been set up showing live footage from the Jedi's quarters. On the top right screen, Cody could see the brown lump on the couch where the Jedi was curled up under his cloak. They had brushed off him not being out at dinner, but when the Jedi had not been in his living area when the guards had brought in his breakfast this morning, they had burst into his bedroom ready to subdue him if necessary.

Cody had seen the footage from one of the guard's buckets.

"Do we really have to do this?"

The camera showed a guard in grey armour - Rift - shrugging. "We were told that we need to see him once every nine hours at the very least. We've already left it too long, vod. Do you want to explain to the Commanders why the karking Jetii got up to something without us noticing?"

The person inside the helmet they were viewing from - Wildfire - huffed. 

"Alright, let's go in and stop whatever the hell is going on in there. Hope our funerals are nice."

The other one shivered. "I hope he makes it quick."

They only hesitated a moment longer before they wrenched open the door, storming in with raised blasters. 

The feed took a moment to adjust to the low lighting in the room. The Jedi had apparently failed to turn off one of the lamps in his room the night before. 

The man in question jerked upwards, instinctively throwing out an arm. The blasters immediately flew out of the guards' hands and they flinched back, ready for an attack. 

The Jedi, however, collapsed, a sharp yell bursting from his lips as he curled up into a ball.

The guards glanced at each other, slowly picking up their blasters and approaching the figure on the bed. 

There was a brief flurry of hand signals between the guards that Cody hadn't paid attention to before Wildfire leant forwards, nudging the jedi with the tip of his blaster.

The Jedi shifted away from it, letting out a small groan as he pulled his head up from his knees. 

The feed showed a clear shot of his face as he looked at the guards, his features too pale and his eyes surrounded by dark circles. 

"I'm sorry," the Jedi murmured quietly, pushing himself back up onto his hands. 

Immediately both guards tensed and the Jedi froze.

"Apologies," he said, his voice hoarse. "You startled me. Why are you…?"

The Jedi's eyes flicked to the chrono on his bedside table, eyes widening. 

"Oh dear, is that the time?"

He looked back at the guards.

"I understand. You need to see me on the cameras."

The Jedi crawled over to the edge of the bed and stood up, leaning against the wall, and rubbing his temple with his free hand. 

The guards exchanged a glance. 

"Ah…. Are you alright?" Rift asked. 

The Jedi looked up at him with a faint, tired smile. 

"Yes, thank you. I'm just experiencing some Force Exhaustion. I seem to have overextended myself yesterday."

There was a pause. 

"Do you need a medic?" Wildfire questioned hesitantly. 

The Jedi shook his head but stopped half way through the motion, grimacing. 

"No thank you. I'm afraid he won't be able to treat it. I just need to rest."

The footage then showed the Jedi staggering out of the bedroom, falling onto the couch, which was too small to properly lay on, and curling into a ball. 

The guards looked between themselves and the Jedi awkwardly before they retreated to their posts outside the door. 

The footage cut out just as Wildfire leant his head back against the wall and said, "Kriff, vod."

Cody had watched the video twice before the meeting had started so that he could carefully take in his Court's expressions when it had been shown. The footage had been enough to earn at least a little sympathy from all his vode, but that still didn't stop the arguments from breaking out.

His attention refocused on the fight that was still raging between Rex and Wolffe.

Rex straightened, crossing his arms defensively. "Well, what do you want to do with him, vod?"

Wolffe faltered.

"There are methods of blocking someone's access the Force," Jango informed them calmly, leaning back in his seat.

Cody was somewhat surprised he hadn't contributed to the argument sooner.

Wolffe nodded at the suggestion whilst Rex scowled.

"And stop him from helping us if we need it?"

"If we'd been supressing his powers, he wouldn't have been able to catch the crane yesterday," Gree agreed.

Ponds nodded. "Dozens of us would have died."

Cody ignored the small roundabout argument that broke out, narrowing his eyes at Jango.

"Does it hurt them?"

Jango shrugged. "Some of them."

Cody raised an eyebrow. "Some?"

Jango hesitated. "From what I've heard, none of them are exactly pleasant, but some are definitely worse than others."

"Well that settles it then," Cody announced, and everyone around the table turned their full attention to him.

"We all agreed that we would not resort to torture," Cody said, looking around at each man at the table.

"If this will hurt the Jedi, we shouldn't do it. Especially since he hasn't done anything to warrant punishment."

Fox crossed his arms.

"With all due respect," he said, not sounding very respectful at all. "This is a moot point. We need him anyway."

They all stared at him.

"The proposal specifically requested he be present when the senators arrive."

Cody frowned.

They had received a missive this morning asking permission for several senators to be received on Vodera. Ostensibly, it was so that they could escort their own senator to his debut in the Senate, but the wording had strongly hinted that this meeting would also include trade agreements.

The proposal hadn't technically asked for the Jedi's presence, but there had been a line that mentioned him specifically by name, stating that the senators were looking forward to seeing how he has been able to help the Vode 'become accustomed to Republic law'.

An insult and a warning.

But they'd just have to take it.

They couldn't afford to botch these negotiations. They would set a precedence for all other galactic relations.

"We can't just not have him at the meeting," Bly assessed and Fox nodded.

"I agree," Cody said.

"Hang on," Ponds objected. "Why would he help us?"

"Well," Gree reasoned. "He's already done it once. Why wouldn't he help again?"

Wolffe frowned. "We can't just trust him with something this important."

"He has to help us," Grey piped up. "That's part of the agreement."

"Not if it's at the detriment of Republic citizens," Fox reminded him.

Jango crossed his arms. "The jetii could easily word their way around getting in trouble for him refusing to help us in this."

"It's not like the Jedi in this situation ever really filled out their diplomatic purpose. Most of the time they were rarely heard from again," Fox explained.

Rex glared at him. "Who's side are you on?"

Fox raised his eyebrows. "I'm on Vodera's side, my prince. Who's side are you on?"

"Regardless," Cody cut in before punches could be thrown. "What I'm hearing is that we have no choice but to trust him."

Ponds shifted. "We can't afford to trust him either."

"Exactly!" Wolffe agreed.

"Then what do you suggest?" Rex growled.

"We can make sure he knows that there will be consequences for his actions," Ponds suggested with a grimace that already showed what he thought of his plan.

Cody squeezed his eyes shut, already knowing where this was going and hating that it was the best course of action.

\----

The first thing Obi-Wan registered when he woke was the throbbing in his skull.

Three days had passed since the incident and the only time he had moved from his couch was to use the fresher briefly and to shove a few spoonfuls of food into his mouth to stave off some of the nausea he had been beginning to feel.

Usually, the healers could induce a joint meditation to help him get over the exhaustion, but without another Jedi present, Obi-Wan was forced to just wait out the Force exhaustion the hard way.

At least the flu like symptoms gave him something to focus on other than the boredom.

Though, he wished the kriffing headache would fade.

Obi-Wan blinked the fogginess from his mind, shoving the headache to the back of his awareness, being careful not to release the pain into the Force. He had learnt the hard way that any attempts at doing that would only lead to more pain and was a sure fire way to knock himself out.

His attention focused on the two Vode sitting in front of him, immediately registering Cody in one of the chairs from his small dining table, though he didn't recognise the one in the other chair.

He was unable to stop his grunt as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"King Cody," he greeted, squinting to stop himself from rubbing his temple. "Lord…?"

"Wolffe," the man in the grey armour grunted.

Obi-Wan inclined his head forward.

"What can I help you with, gentlemen?" Obi-Wan asked, more blunt than he would usually dare to be.

Frankly, he was too tired to care. He wasn't at risk of passing out, like he had been the past few days, but he could feel how exhausted he was in every bone of his body. And his shoulders were starting to ache from the tension he had been holding in them. A tension that hadn't even seemed to completely leave him when he was sleeping and was now worsening with every moment Lord Wolffe glared at him.

Kind Cody straightened his shoulders.

"A delegate of senators will be visiting Vodera two weeks' time to escort our senator to Coruscant, as well as to broker some of our first trade deals."

Obi-Wan nodded. That was good. It was important that the Vode start making outside allies. They were pretty self-sufficient, but they couldn't hope to maintain the sort of good will within the Republic to motivate people to come to their aide without improving galactic relations.

"They want you to be there."

Obi-Wan blinked. "Oh."

It was a reasonable request, if one examined the letter of the procedure that the Vode had invoked, just not a favourable one for outside parties. Not many would actually request the other side to have Jedi help.

"Which senators will be here?" he asked a small frown making its way onto his face.

"The four senators are from Alderaan, Naboo, Kuat and Velmor."

Obi-Wan's brain took a second to remember everything he could about those planets. When he connected the dots, he let out a hysterical laugh.

"What?" Lord Wolffe growled, crossing his arms.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Those senators are honourable people. You'll get fair trade agreements from them."

The king frowned. "You have experience with them?"

"Yes."

Wolffe narrowed his eyes and leant forward in his chair, somehow managing to look menacing without making the obvious power grab of standing up.

"We don't trust you."

Obi-Wan held back his wince at the reminder. He may not be able to feel the Force, but that didn't mean he couldn't still feel it.

"I know and I understand why."

"Good," Wolffe said, pulling two thick metal bracelets out of his pocket.

A spike of fear stabbed its way into his heart, sending cold drops down his spine. Obi-Wan unconsciously pressed back into the couch.

"So you know what these are," Wolffe assessed with a nod. "We'll only put them on if you prove yourself a threat to the Vode."

They locked eyes for a second and Obi-Wan's gut twisted.

He looked to King Cody who's eyes lowered slightly under his gaze and all of a sudden, the cold fear in Obi-Wan's heart was melting into a steaming anger.

"You don't need to threaten me," Obi-Wan snapped. "I wouldn't-"

Obi-Wan broke off, taking a deep breath and dispelling his anger. He could not use the Force to help calm himself, but he'd learnt over many missions throughout his padawanship and his knighthood, how to manage his emotions even when he couldn't rely on the Force.

"I understand why you don't trust me," Obi-Wan went on, forcing his voice to stay level and calm. "But know that I wouldn't put your people at risk."

He wouldn't risk innocents over his own petty grievances.

King Cody looked up at him.

"I know the threat still stands, but I want you to be aware that whatever actions I take at that meeting would have been done without it."

The king pursed his lips but nodded.

Wolffe huffed and stood up.

"Just know the consequences if you do cross us, jetii."

And with that he was striding out of the room. Kind Cody rose more slowly, putting the chairs back.

Obi-Wan chose to ignore him in favour of massaging two fingers into his forehead.

Force, he needed some tea.

The back of Obi-Wan's neck tingled and he looked up to find the king staring at him from across the room.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Obi-Wan blurted out.

King Cody's lips twitched before they pulled downwards at the edges.

"Are you eating?"

Obi-Wan hid his wince. "I'm eating enough."

The king glanced obviously between the almost untouched plate vegetables and fish and Obi-Wan.

"I would choose a quicker method of killing myself than starvation, your highness, I assure you."

That only made the king's expression darken more.

Obi-Wan sighed.

"I'm just very tired, Kind Cody. I'll eat when I don't feel like I'm in danger of passing out and drowning in my own food."

Cody nodded. "I'll hold you to that. We need you functioning."

How very sweet. Obi-Wan couldn't summon the mental faculties to reply something snippy enough, his body already starting to keel slowly to the side.

Two days later, when he finally felt good enough to sit down for a full meal, there was a steaming mug of tea beside his breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone could suggest a better chapter title, I would be happy to use it. 
> 
> The plot is starting to move along now.
> 
> Any predictions for the meeting. 
> 
> Also, even though no one asked, yes I did name Lofty after the Bob the Builder character.


	7. Diplomacy is Just Having a Really Good Brain Filter to Make Sure you don't Blurt Out the Wrong Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negotiations.

Obi-Wan found a weird sought of hilarity that he wasn't the most nervous person in the room.

Of course, no one, not even the more expressive of the Vode, were showing it, but Obi-Wan had the advantage of literally being able to feel people's emotions.

Obi-Wan was more at ease than he had been three weeks ago. This was largely due to the fact that he'd spent much of the last fortnight out of his rooms, talking with Lords Bly and Fox as well as Prince Rex and King Cody, telling them as much as they needed to know about Senate negotiations and about the four planets and senators they were about to meet with.

The activity and the contact had done wonders for him, and he felt more energised than he had before he'd caught the crane.

A few days before the meeting was due to take place, King Cody had even asked Obi-Wan to teach his entire Court, as well as a large section of guards, how to act around senators.

_Obi-Wan fought not to squirm under the gazes of so many vode. Most of the time, when he walked with Cody, the men at least pretended not to stare._

_Although, some of the gazes weren't hostile._

_For one thing, Fett had taken an assignment off world and would not be back for a few weeks._

_Bly had warmed up to him considerably over the few hours they'd worked together as Obi-Wan attempted to get him ready for life as a senator. Lord Fox seemed to hold no animosity towards him either, caring more about getting his job done whilst Prince Rex was actually warm with him._

_The prince in question flashed Obi-Wan a quick smile as he walked to the head of the oval table that the Court sat around._

_"King Cody has asked me to tell you what I know the senators and how political trade deals work," Obi-Wan announced, glancing around at the many almost identical faces in the room, though he'd be able to pick out every one of them blindfolded with how differently they shone in the Force._

_"I'm not sure how much new information I can give you. Lord Fox and his research team are very thorough, but I will do what I can."_

_From there, he launched into his explanations, talking about the intricacies of how trade agreements actually work._

_Lord Fox and Bly kept him going for a long time, knowing exactly the right questions to ask as Obi-Wan detailed intricacies of the four cultures they were about to encounter that weren't written down on official servers and could only be learnt through interaction with them._

_At around the hour and a half mark, Obi-Wan's voice began to catch and he cleared his throat._

_A few minutes later, a cup of tea appeared at his elbow. He'd been so focused on answering the questions that Lord Fox was firing at him, occasionally interjected with a few more outlandish ones about culture and biology from Lord Gree, that he hadn't seen the king move to order refreshments for everyone._

_He smiled gratefully at King Cody, not having time to thank him properly._

_He took a sip when Lord Gree asked yet another longwinded question, sweetness spreading on his tongue as he tasted chamomile with hints of honey. The tea immediately soothed his sore throat and he felt a warmth spread through his chest._

_They ended up having dinner at the table as Obi-Wan helped lay out strategies for the negotiations and, as always, King Cody escorted him back to his room, though, this time, Prince Rex joined him._

_They both cordially bid their goodbyes._

_It was more than he'd expected a few years ago._

They'd greeted the senators on the platform, and they formally welcomed Bly into the Senate before they all moved into a sitting room that Obi-Wan had ensured was set up just right, containing a chair that could accommodate the avian Velmorans.

After light refreshments, where the senators mostly asked polite but superficial questions about Vodera, they all sat down and it was like a switch had been flipped.

The four senators, plus Obi-Wan and the Vode who had been there (Bly, obviously, as well as King Cody and Prince Rex. Lord Fox was also there, working in his capacity as Secretary of State and Lord Wolffe, overseeing the room directly as Head of the Guard) felt the shift, a sought of tension charging their limbs.

Bail, ever the diplomat, was the one to break the silence.

"Well, I can see that the pleasantries are over with and that now it is time for business."

Obi-Wan smiled at his friend, settling down into his chair.

Alderaan was willing to offer medical supplies in exchange for shipments of rare seaweed and other underwater flora that only grew on Vodera whilst Naboo was offering a pretty fair trade of rare fabrics, treated with Naboo's famous blaster resistant resin, in exchange for supplies of plastoid armour modified for Gungan body types.

Kuat was ready to exchange a large amount of ships as well as dispatch mechanics to teach some of the Vode about upkeep, also in exchange for armour as well as weapons designs and some of the Vode coming to their planet to train a section of troops.

Lastly, Velmor brought offers of livestock to the table in exchange for fish imports.

All strong offers that would enrich Vodera as well as having the added benefit of getting their name out into the system. On paper, these should have been some of the easiest negotiations Obi-Wan had ever overseen.

However, nothing could ever be so simple.

From the outset, the senators were… not hostile, they were all better diplomats than that… but difficult.

Bail, of course, was perfectly polite and even warm and Senator Amidala didn't cause any problems other than perhaps being slightly short with King Cody and Lord Wolffe.

It was with Senator Valres, of Kuat and Senator Legrana of Velmor that stirred trouble.

Senator Valres was knitpicking every aspect of the deals, whilst Senator Legrana was stiff the entire time, his feathers ruffled and his feathered arm/wings twitching as he coldly addressed the Vode.

And then Lord Wolffe made a slight comment about types of livestock that had the senator's tail feathers puffing up angrily. Truly, a small infraction as it took Obi-Wan a few moments to register what had gone wrong.

He'd made a minor cultural slight that was usually ignored, especially when the Velmoran were off world.

Obi-Wan held back a frown. What was with them all?

He leant back in his seat, tilting his head upwards as he looked towards Senator Legrana.

"Come now, senator. We do not doubt the strength of your trainers. Lord Wolffe was just making an accurate comment about the aggressiveness of bovine species."

Senator Legrana deflated slightly as his head swing towards Obi-Wan. He had been trying to speak as little as possible during the meeting, only commenting when things with Senator Valres were getting a little too heated, offering compromises. Really, the offers were quite fair, and he didn't want reports of the Vode using him to gain too much of an advantage over other worlds to get out. The success and the satisfaction of the other world's with these trade agreements were of the utmost importance.

The senator nodded.

"Ah yes, Master Kenobi. That is quite right. Bovine do tend to be easily provoked. Though our trainers are adept enough to handle their intelligence and their bloodthirstiness."

"Perhaps something a bit calmer would suite Vodera?" Obi-Wan suggested lightly. "Very few can achieve the expertise with handling animals that your people have. I remember that you mentioned that Velmora had particularly fine bantha herds."

The senator trilled happily. "Ah, you are too kind Master Jedi."

Things seemed to wind down from there and they were able to wrap up the negotiations by the end of the day. They were some of the quickest negotiations Obi-Wan had ever overseen, despite the initial complications earlier.

Dinner was still a formal affair, though all the senators seemed more relaxed than before.

Obi-Wan wasn't convinced that the weirdly charged tension from earlier had completely dissipated, but was willing to take what he could and contributed amiably to the rather shallow discussions the senators initiated over dinner.

That was, until the end of main course.

"I must confess, Master Kenobi," Senator Amidala said. "It has been far too long since the people of Naboo have been able to host you. My queen is rather chagrined that it is us coming to you instead of vice versa. We have always wanted to show the Hero of Naboo more gratitude than we've been able to over the last ten years."

Obi-Wan suppressed a grimace. He didn't like being reminded of it. Him and Senator Amidala had kept a sparse but steady correspondence over the years and had met a few times at diplomatic events that Obi-Wan hadn't been able to negotiate his way out of, but he had always managed to avoid the invitations to Naboo. The planet didn't hold good memories for him and he knew that as soon as he stepped foot inside the palace, and perhaps even inside the capitol city, he would be able to feel the echoes of his fight with Maul ringing through the Force.

The Council had always been kind enough to give him 'crucial missions that certainly could not be ignored' whenever the anniversary of the battle came around, making him conveniently unavailable to attend the festivities on Naboo. At least his current situation would give him an excuse not to go. Ever.

"I appreciate your kind words, senator," he responded as diplomatically as possible. "But there really is no need to thank me. I was only doing my duty."

Senator Amidala smiled sadly. "I know it is a difficult subject for you. Apologies."

The entire table had gone quiet at their interaction, even Senator Legana, who had been engaging in enthusiastic conversation with Lord Gree for the entire dinner. Obi-Wan was grateful that he'd taught the man how to politely ask questions as he had latched onto the avian senator almost immediately, ready to ask all sorts of questions about his species and culture. Their luck had continued, as the senator seemed to preen under the attention.

Obi-Wan glanced down at the table, his hands clenching in his lap as the king glanced at him curiously. He truly wasn't sure how much the Vode really knew about his relationship with Naboo. They'd let him manoeuvre his way out of talking about it, instead referring Fox to places where he could read the news coverage on the events.

"Thank you, senator."

He did his best to contribute to discussion for the rest of the night, but he felt drained from the reminder of the pending anniversary of Qui-Gon's death.

Luckily for him, however the dinner was over soon and people were standing up.

"This has been a lovely meal," Bail complimented with a smile.

King Cody nodded. He did not smile like Prince Rex did, but Obi-Wan had managed to coach his body language into a relaxed, open posture so that it didn't matter.

"Would you like us to show you to your rooms?" he asked. "We know that you're scheduled to leave early tomorrow."

Bail glanced around at the other senators who all looked nodded at the suggestion.

"Thank you, King Cody," he said, inclining his head.

The Court broke up so that a Lord was accompanying each of the senators to their rooms, and Obi-Wan followed them out last, escorted by both Prince Rex and King Cody.

After a few minutes of walking down the corridors, which had dimmed lighting due to the time of night, Prince Rex glanced at him.

"You alright?" he murmured.

Obi-Wan breathed out, nodding as he swallowed. He usually had more composure than this, but even

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan muttered. He was usually much more in touch with his emotions, and he'd taught himself how to emotionally deal with the grief, but it was much harder with no Jedi directly near to draw comfort from.

King Cody glanced sharply at him.

"There's nothing to apologise for," he snapped. "You've helped us, more than any of us could have hoped…more than we… than I expected."

Obi-Wan glanced down. "It was easy. The senators were very fair."

"Only because of your history with them," the king replied.

Obi-Wan frowned. "That's not true. Senator Organa would have helped you regardless and though, I admittedly don't know her very well, I believe that Senator Amidala would have as well."

"But Senator Valres and Senator Legana wouldn't have," Prince Rex finished, "and they both gave us essential deals. And I mean _gave_."

Obi-Wan was silent for the rest of the walk, but the king stepped in front of his door before he could open it.

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," he said, looking Obi-Wan in the eye. "I mean it."

Breakfast the next morning was a much more relaxed affair, with many of the Vode practically hanging off of Bly. The newly minted Senator of Vodera would obviously be taking a large guard of Vode from his own companies, but he would be leaving many of the brothers that he'd seen every day of his life.

Bail and Senator Amidala, who had implored Obi-Wan to call her Padme, had taken the time to engage Obi-Wan in more casual conversation than the night before. He found himself relaxing more than he had since he'd learnt that he would be permanently leaving the Temple.

However, every good thing had to come to an end, and too soon, the meal was finished and everyone was standing up to leave.

Bail leaned over and gave him a firm handshake which Obi-Wan felt slightly embarrassed about enjoying so much.

"Goodbye, old friend," Bail said before he pulled away and waved at one of his aides, who brought two chests forward.

"And, of course, I cannot leave without gifting you with your wedding presents."  


He glanced over at King Cody, who'd wandered over at the mention of a wedding.

"What is this?" the king asked.

Bail gestured to his aides, who opened the both chests at the same time. Obi-Wan fought back his gasp at seeing a chest full of Alderaani wine and the other containing a beautifully crafted gold tea set.

"Bail, this is too much," Obi-Wan said.

"Nonsense, my friend. It's the least I could do."

Bail patted him on the shoulder and moved back as the other senators stepped up to offer their own wedding presents.

The senator of Kuat gave them an entire ship, a large, reinforced light freighter with heavy defence and gunning systems whilst the senator of Velemor had brought two kittens from a large feline species known as the sabre panther. Senator Legana assured them that the black and grey cats were 'surprisingly docile' despite their terrifying name and also provided them with a large information packet on how to raise them.

Padme was the last one to give her gift, revealing very intricate blaster resistant garbs for both him and the king as well as a circlet for him and a coronet for King Cody.

"We take our fashion very seriously on Naboo," Padme informed them. "And we are happy to present our allies with some of our finery."

Then she looked to Obi-Wan with an intense expression that had his stomach dropping.

She took a comm with holo capabilities out of her pocket.

"Here," she said, as she thrust it at Obi-Wan. "Anakin told me you hadn't taken a comm with you. It already has his number programmed into it as well as Master Eerin's, Master Muln's and Master Vos's."

Obi-Wan suddenly felt lightheaded.

"You've seen Anakin?" he asked, in lieu of addressing the bantha in the room.

Padme nodded. "Him and Master Koon have done several rotations in the Senate. Master Koon says its teaching him patience and the true nature of politics."

A fond smile slipped onto her face as she said that and Obi-Wan's chest tightened. Good. It was good that Plo was teaching Anakin more about the Senate. His padawan hadn't shown any inclination for wanting to engage in politics previously and the Obi-Wan respected that, as few Jedi ever really did need to learn enough about politics to fully engage with the Senate. He'd assumed the Chancellor had been answering any of Anakin's questions on those topics. Now he dreaded whatever information his padawan had received.

Besides, recent events showed that the Jedi Order as a whole needed to pay more attention to politics. The centuries old trust between the Order and the Senate that had been based on a mutual understanding that they would both work together to do what was best for the Republic was shaken. All the Jedi would need to get more politically and diplomatically savvy if they were going to successfully navigate dealing with this new landscape without appearing as if they were angling to gain more power.

"How is he?" Obi-Wan asked desperately.

"He's good," Padme assured him. "Master Koon says it won't be too much longer before he is ready to be knighted."

Obi-Wan nodded, feeling his own sad smile spread across his face. He'd known that Anakin was almost ready. He really was a powerful, and exceptional student. He would make a formidable knight.

"I'm afraid it is time for us to bid you all farewell," Bail said lowly, breaking the tension.

They all said their goodbyes, and manouevred out the landing platforms, but as Padme turned to walk onto her ship, Obi-Wan stopped her with a quiet call of her name.

"Yes, Obi-Wan?" Padme asked, smiling kindly at him.

"Please tell Anakin that I'm proud of him, and that I know he will make a great knight."

Padme nodded. "Of course, master Jedi."

And with that, they were gone.

The remaining members of the Court, their guard, and Obi-Wan began to walk inside.

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds, counting down from ten before he reached into his pocket and took the communicator out with shaking hands.

He offered it to King Cody.

"Here you go," he muttered.

The king frowned and a few moments of silence stretched between them before the king reached out and closed Obi-Wan's fingers around the device, the contact sending a jolt through Obi-Wan's entire body.

"Keep it," he said.

All the Vode around them shifted sharply at that, turning to stare at the king with the same incredulous stare that Obi-Wan was.

"We'll need to monitor your calls, and I would ask that you keep the device in your living room, but you can contact your ad and your bur'cyae."

Obi-Wan swallowed back a wave of emotion as he bowed deeply.

"Thank you, my king."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like that?
> 
> I know a lot of you expected Anakin to be there, but this fic is still semi-serious and it wasn't a politcaly feasible move.
> 
> Better titles for the chapter are welcome.
> 
> Any predictions/suggestions?
> 
> also
> 
> ad = child in Mando'a
> 
> bur'cyae translates as friends. I made up the ending to adjust a singular to the plural.


	8. Kittens with a side of Why I Hate Palpatine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are kittens in this chapter.

Cody took Kenobi to the gardens the day after the senators had left. As usual, his expression was impassive but this time there was something… different.

Cody stole glances at him as they walked from the corner of his eyes. Kenobi seemed more… relaxed. His movements, somehow, were more fluid than before. He almost looked like a flowing dancer as he moved along and Cody found his eyes drawn more and more to him. Although, even with his more graceful movements, he thought he could sense some lingering tension in the way that the he was holding his shoulders too high to be really comfortable.

Cody led him towards one of the smaller greenhouses that housed a small garden of tall, winding trees and a small water feature. Ponds and Grey had suggested the creation of it and few more like it as recreational centres. Although, currently, this one was closed for everyone but the Lords. Cody didn't want to deal with any upheaval that might happen if someone caught Kenobi walking through a garden.

Kenobi perked up as they entered, shooting a surprised glance at Cody.

He still didn't ask Cody anything, but by this point, Cody didn't expect him to. Kenobi only spoke when prompted, and never initiated conversations on his own.

"I thought you might like walking through the garden today," Cody explained, answering the unvoiced question. "You said you like plants."

"I do," Kenobi murmured, gaze swinging around as he took in all the plants.

They strolled quietly through the gardens, Waxer and Boil following relaxedly behind them.

And then Kenobi's hand was reaching out, resting on the trunk of a tree. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the tree. Cody felt a warmth envelop him, permeating down to his bones.

The feeling disappeared a second later and Kenobi jerked away from the tree.

"My apologies, that was terribly rude of me," Kenobi muttered. "I lost grasp of my shields for a moment."

Cody blinked, shaking himself even as he felt his goosebumps rose on his skin.

"It's fine," he said before he gestured towards one of the paths that wound its way through the trees. "Would you like to continue?"

Kenobi nodded, following him as he began to walk.

They both paused as the path opened up onto a small grass covered clearing.

Gree was lying sprawled in the clearing, breathing heavily.

"Gree?" Cody asked. "What the hell is going on here?"

"They're… fast," Gree panted.

Kenobi frowned. "Do you need assistance with something?"

Gree lifted his head. "Oh good… you're here. You can use your Jedi powers to catch the buggers."

Kenobi furrowed his eyebrows and Cody smiled.

"Gree…"

"What? I thought we trusted him after he saved our shebs yesterday."

Cody pursed his lips.

This was not the sought of discussion they should have with Kenobi present.

The man in question suddenly straightened, gaze snapping towards the base of a tree a moment before the two sabre panther kittens rolled out of the shadows. Kenobi knelt down as they loped over to him.

"How?" Gree asked, face going slack.

Kenobi gave a small smile.

"It's a Jedi thing."

He held out his hand and the kittens rubbed their heads against his palm. He reached out with his other hand so he could scratch both of them behind the ears, causing them to let put low purrs.

"Why are you here?" Cody asked as Gree finally dragged himself into a sitting position.

"I'm trying to potty train them, like the information package said," he muttered, gesturing to the light blue trays filled with little pelts.

Kenobi nodded, closing his eyes as he placed his hands on top of their heads.

The kittens held very still for a few moments before Kenobi lifted his hands and they pounced at him, climbing up his tunics.

"Where are you keeping them?" Kenobi asked, his voice soft as he glanced up questioningly.

Gree glanced at Cody. "We haven't really decided yet. We were sought of blindsided. They stayed with Cody and Rex last night."

Kenobi looked up at him, a smile pulling at his lips. "Really?"

Cody glanced down and nodded. They were his responsibility after all.

"They were skittish with us, but I woke up to find them sleeping on the end of the bed," Cody explained.

"And they'd crapped all over his floor."

Cody shot a glare at Gree. "Yes. And that."

Kenobi's smile widened but he turned his attention back to the kittens before Cody could see anymore of his reaction. He shifted so that he was sitting in a cross-legged position and the kittens tumbled off his shoulders into his lap.

Cody looked down and watched Kenobi almost melt as the kittens crawled over him, purring lightly. He felt a smile pull at his lips and that warm feeling filled his chest again, only this time he was sure it wasn't Kenobi doing it. At least not directly.

Kenobi turned his head to peer up at Cody.

"Would you like to sit down, King Cody?" he asked.

Cody hesitated before did as he was asked. As soon as he had gotten comfortable, Kenobi lifted one of the kittens and transferred it to Cody's lap. The black furry creature patterned with web like veins of grey squirmed, grumbling a little and Cody felt his heart rate jump.

"It's alright," Kenobi murmured. Though Cody couldn't tell if he was talking to him or the kitten.

He closed his eyes and the kitten quietened.

"Scratch her behind the ears," Kenobi told him and Cody complied.

The kitten immediately relaxed, a small purr rumbling through her chest.

"Have you named them yet?" Kenobi asked, allowing the kitten in his lap to bat at his hands playfully.

"No," Cody replied. "I haven't been able to think of any."

Kenobi nodded and turned his attention back to his own kitten as it rolled onto its back.

"Do you have anything you want to name them?"

Kenobi's eyes flickered to him before they quickly darted back to the kitten in his lap.

"I wouldn't presume to…"

"So you do."

Kenobi didn't reply.

"We have to name them something," Cody stated and Kenobi lifted his gaze.

"We?"

"Well, they're your gift to."

A few metres away from them, Gree snorted and Kenobi stared at Cody, expression drawn.

Cody's gut churned.

"They are," he insisted. "In fact, they can sleep in your room if you want."

Kenobi frowned, looking down into his lap as his movements stilled.

"Will you tell me what names you were thinking of?" Cody asked and Kenobi drew in a breath.

"Tahlia for her," he said, nodding at the one in Cody's lap and then lifted the kitten in his. "And Qui-Kin for this one."

Kenobi studiously didn't look at Cody in the silence that stretched out after his announcement.

"Those sound nice," Cody commented.

Kenobi glanced at him. "Yeah?"

"Yes. Those names are good."

Kenobi nodded. "Right. Okay."

"Yeah."

They both lapsed into silence, petting the kittens.

Gree broke their weird, charged calm that had overtaken the clearing.

"If you guys have got them, I'll just get going. I do have an actual job to do and I know Grey wants to go over delegating the shipments when they arrive."

Cody cleared his throat. "Yes, I do too. Have a job that is."

He winced internally as Kenobi glanced at him and Gree stifled a snort.

"Ah, right," Kenobi muttered.

They both got up, still holding the kittens, as Gree strode out of the clearing with a nod at each of them.

"I should be getting you back," Cody muttered and Kenobi nodded in agreement.

"Waxer, can you pick up the tray?"

"Sure."

With that, they left, both walking in silence, utterly distracted by the kittens in their arms.

As they got to the door, Kenobi turned to Cody, taking a deep breath.

"King Cody, may I please comm Anakin now?"

Cody nodded. "Yes. I'll just leave Waxer and Boil to monitor you."

Kenobi inclined his head forward, breathing out a shaky breath.

"Thank you, King Cody," he said, voice strained.

Cody stared at him for a few moments before he cleared his throat. "I'll be going now."

\----

Obi-Wan hesitated with his hand hovering over the comm unit.

He'd selected Anakin's frequency. All he needed to do was activate it, but he was suddenly gripped with a sick nervousness that froze his limbs.

Qui-Kin peered at him curiously from where he was sitting on the table whilst Tahlia batted her head against his stomach. He was glad that they seemed to be content with him holding one of them at all times. Holding the soft furballs in his hands was beyond comforting and grounded him in a way that was almost as good as actually having someone there with him.

Frankly, he was surprised that he'd even been allowed to see the animals. He hadn't even considered that he would be allowed to care for them. However, he couldn't deny the warmth that had flooded his chest at Cody's insistence that they could.

He swallowed down his fear, running a hand over Tahlia's head whilst he used the other to activate the comm code.

There were a few, heartwrenching moments before it connected. It was just long enough for doubts to crash through Obi-Wan. Maybe the clones had put a jammer in his room. Maybe Anakin wouldn't have his comm on him. Maybe he wouldn't even want to talk to Obi-Wan. Force knows he'd failed him enough as a Master, and surely he'd seen it after spending time as Plo's padawan.

The line went through before Obi-Wan could spiral too far and then Anakin's face, more familiar than Obi-Wan's own, was appearing in front of him, the holofeed showing him sitting at a dining table.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin exclaimed and Obi-Wan almost broke down sobbing right there. It was good to hear his voice.

"Hello Anakin," he breathed.

"Force, Obi-Wan. I didn't think Padme would be able to pull it off."

Anakin was grinning from ear to ear and, despite himself, Obi-Wan felt himself smiling.

"She has only grown more competent and brilliant over the years."

He saw Anakin's expression shift slightly and a connection sparked in Obi-Wan's mind.

"And more beautiful," he said, a gentle suggestion in his voice as he stared pointedly at his padawan.

Anakin glanced down and blushed. "Master…"

Obi-Wan's heart swelled in his chest and his eyes grew hot.

"Oh Anakin."

They locked eyes and Obi-Wan felt the bond spark. He stifled a gasp, badly and Anakin smiled.

"I've missed you," the boy admitted.

Obi-Wan blew out a shaky breath. "Me too."

More than he could know. Out of everything, Obi-Wan missed Anakin's presence the most. He'd wished hundreds of times that his padawan had come with him, and hundreds of times he'd batted away that thought guiltily. He couldn't subject his padawan to this. Anakin needed stability, especially after the last few months. Something that he wouldn't be able to find away from a temple.

"How is your training going?"

Anakin perked up. "Good! Master Plo has taught me a lot. He's helped me with… everything that happened."

"That's good."

"Yeah. He, Master Yoda and Master Windu all take turns meditating with me and… and I've started seeing a mind healer again."

Obi-Wan's shoulders slumped forward in relief. As soon as Anakin turned fifteen, he'd refused to see the mind healer that he'd been seeing, and, since he was old enough and had been signed off on, Obi-Wan hadn't been able to force him. Besides, Obi-Wan knew from his own experiences that going to a mind healer only hoped if the patient let it help.

It seemed like Plo was able to convince his padawan where he had failed.

"I'm glad to hear it, Anakin."

Anakin glanced down, hesitating before he looked up again.

"He said it's what you would have wanted."

A lump formed in Obi-Wan's throat.

"I only want you to be happy, Anakin," he stated, voice barely above a whisper.

"I know, Master," Anakin replied, pausing before he went on. "The Chanc - Palpatine said a lot of things to me about you over the past few years… and I believed them."

His padawan bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Master."

"No, Padawan. I'm the one who's sorry. I let you stay with him. I… I couldn't stop him. Even when I knew that something was wrong."

Anakin's gaze snapped up and he shook his head. "No, Master! He didn't give you _or_ the Council a choice. Besides, you had no reason to _not_ send me. Plenty of padawans learn from politicians, isn't that how you met Senator Organa - by taking political lessons from his father? And it's not like I told you anything he was saying."

Obi-Wan frowned and Anakin set his jaw in a hard line.

"Healer Danai told me that I need to keep more open communication with my masters… but that you also wouldn't push me if I set boundaries. I let Palpatine convince me that you did it because you didn't care."

Obi-Wan blinked, taken by surprise by how much that stung. How could Anakin think he didn't care? He loved Anakin more than anything.

He loved Anakin so much that it worried him. He'd gone to the Council Masters many times with worries that he might be becoming attached, and it had taken many discussions with them and a mind healer for him to ensure that he'd cemented that line between attachment and love. It was something many masters struggled with.

Distantly, it occurred to Obi-Wan that he should probably _tell_ Anakin all this, but before he could work up the nerve, Anakin was speaking again.

"I have some news that I think you'll want to hear from me before it gets released in the news," he informed Obi-Wan. "The Temple was attacked."

Obi-Wan was almost surprised that he didn't have a heart attack right there.

"What?"

"A bald woman with twin red lightsabers and a yellow zabrak attacked the Temple. Dooku said she was his former padawan - a woman named Asajj Ventress - but he couldn't identify the zabrak. Master Windu and Master Billaba have gone to Darthomir to talk to the Nightsisters."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Master Fisto is in the Halls of Healing, but he should recover. They were overwhelmed pretty quickly but managed to escape into the Coruscant underbelly before we could apprehend them. They were foolish to attack the Temple. But revenge can make people do stupid and awful things. Often both at the same time."

Obi-Wan smirked. "Did Master Windu tell you that?"

"How did you know?"

"Because he gave me the same lecture when I was a padawan. He talks to all the young ones who struggle with anger."

Anakin gaped at Obi-Wan. "I never would have guessed that."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, not quite able to keep the hint of disapproval from his tone. "Yes, well, you have always held a grudge against him."

Anakin's gaze lowered, a blush creeping over his cheeks.

Obi-Wan quickly took pity on him and changed the subject to something more light-hearted, asking Anakin about his mechanical projects. The conversation went on from there, seesawing between banter and serious discussions. At one point, Plo had said hello before retreating to allow Anakin and Obi-Wan the time to talk through the tension that had bloomed between them over the past few years, almost entirely due to Palpatine's manipulations.

Obi-Wan even managed to articulate just how much he cared for Anakin.

They ended the discussion a few hours later, when both their voices were shot to hell and Obi-Wan could feel his thoughts going fuzzy. They still had a lot to talk about, but Obi-Wan ended the comm feeling brighter than he had in weeks.

"Goodbye, Anakin. I love you."

Obi-Wan's gut twisted, waiting for Anakin's inevitable outburst at his unwanted affection.

But Anakin just stared at him for a few moments before a slow smile crept onto his face. "Goodnight, Master. I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is out a little late, I had trouble getting through the introduction of his chapter.
> 
> How did you like it? Any predictions/suggestions. Anything you say will be taken into account because I have virtually have no idea where this is going.
> 
> We'll probs be getting off the fluff train next chapter.


	9. The calm....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was actually a bit more fluff than I anticipated.

Waxer liked Kenobi.

Admittedly he hadn't really talked to the man much, but, nevertheless, Waxer made the decision to like him.

Boil would call him naïve - _had_ called him naïve when he found out about Waxer's feelings. But, over the few weeks, it was obvious that Cody had come to enjoy his time with Kenobi. Rex certainly liked interacting with him too.

Waxer did as well.

Even during those first few times, when Kenobi had been studiously blank, or, rather, when Waxer was still learning how to read him, he'd found the Jedi's presence… calming. There was this warmth that permeated the air around Kenobi. It seeped into Waxer's bones, unravelling the tension in his muscles.

The good feeling had only heightened when the man started to relax. Waxer had been stationed on guard for many of the meetings and he had seen the graceful way that Kenobi bore the endless rounds of questioning and wrangled the often combative Court members, many of them acting hostile to him just because of what he was.

And he'd watched yesterday whilst Kenobi had called his padawan. He and Boil had been ordered to after all, and Waxer wouldn't disobey a direct order. Even if it felt like a deep violation to be watching something so private and obviously deeply personal.

Kenobi had smiled more and more genuinely during that holocall than Waxer had seen him do ever before. He'd also looked more devastated. It was a jarring dichotomy, especially coming from him.

After the call, Kenobi had slumped forward, cushioning his head against his arms, which were braced on the table. He stayed there for a few seconds, taking deep, slightly shaky breaths before he straightened back up, glancing at the chronometer that hung on the wall across from his dining room.

His eyes had widened before he'd turned to where Waxer and Boil had been leaning against the wall awkwardly.

"I'm very sorry for keeping you so long," he told them. "I didn't realise how long we'd taken."

He took another shuddering breath.

"Thank you very much for bearing with me for so long."

"It's fine," Boil assured Kenobi quickly.

And wasn’t that rich? The asshole could get on Waxer's case all he wanted about being too trusting, acting as if he wasn't just as taken in by the Jedi. Not that Waxer would mention it. They hadn't been batchmates, but they were in the same training squads, and Boil had quickly taken it upon himself to protect Waxer from anyone who would take advantage of his kindness.

They were practically inseparable and Waxer would let Boil pretend to be as gruff and distant as he liked to if that was what made him happy.

Waxer knew different and that's what counted.

"It was no trouble," Waxer contributed looking directly at Kenobi.

He wished he could take his helmet off. It felt wrong to be this closed off and official when he was staring into the other's slightly red-rimmed eyes.

Kenobi swallowed looking down at the kitten currently in his lap. The two fuzzy creatures had spent the hour and half the call had spanned switching places, chasing each other in a strange little circle through the chair's legs and across Kenobi's thighs for a few minutes before they'd get tired and one of them would flop down on the Jedi and the other would curl up on the table, only for them to begin again about five minutes later.

"That's very kind of you. Regardless, I apologise for taking up so much of your time."

All Waxer wanted to do was hug him in that moment. Listening to that conversation had been hard, and it had given him a lot to think about, if it was all true. Though, he didn't think that any of that could have been scripted, and Kenobi had been too utterly enwrapped in the conversation for it to be lies. 

In fact, he wasn't sure how he felt about replaying the video for everyone else, even if his helmet would only be used to get a better angle of the footage that they already had from the room feeds.

But, Waxer couldn't do anything to comfort the Jedi. So, he'd exchanged an awkward glance with Boil, before they'd both awkwardly dismissed themselves from the room, leaving Kenobi staring pensively at the comm.

Today, Kenobi's expression held none of the aching melancholy it had when they'd left the day before. He talked openly with Cody, both of them discussing possible future deals with Alderaan and Velmor, each of them holding a kitten as they walked.

The animals had, ostensibly, been the reason for the stroll today as they headed towards a different garden than the day before.

Rex had suggested that the panthers would need to stretch their legs outside Kenobi's rooms, at dinner the night before. So now, the Prince and King of Vodera were escorting a man who was, officially, the King Consort, but was really a political prisoner, to a garden that was designed for children to play in.

They made their way slowly through the paths until they got to a clearing that had stone seats and a small stream. 

Waxer and Boil stood next to each other under one tree whilst Wooley and Longshot were together on the other side of the clearing.

They watched the interactions but tried not to listen too closely to the conversation, instead keeping comms open between their helmets.

That was, until three cadets fell out of a tree.

Everyone in the clearing stiffened at the crash, all of them raising their weapons for half a second before they could register just what had happened.

Kenobi sat back down as Rex and Cody stepped forward.

Cody crossed his arms whilst Rex put his hands on his hips, both of the looking down at the trio with stern frowns on their faces.

The kids took a second to blink their shock away but they hadn't taken a hard fall, clearly unharmed as they all sat up without complaint.

"Are you hurt?" Rex asked, his voice low and hard.

All three of them shook their heads and the one in the middle murmured, "No General Rex, sir."

"Good," Cody growled, shifting his weight to one foot. "Now what are you doing here?"

All three of them looked down, slouching under the weight of their combined glares.

Waxer was in just the right position to see Kenobi's expression if he turned his head a little bit and he saw the Jedi lean his head to the side.

"Well?" Cody asked after almost half a minute of silence.

Rex tilted his head further down and then the one on the left broke.

"We wanted to know why the garden was closed," he admitted, not looking up to meet their eyes.

Waxer was very glad he was wearing a helmet in that moment because he couldn't helm the smirk that split his face.

"You closed Number 12 yesterday and didn't believe that it was for maintenance," the boy went on when he was met with unimpressed silence.

"We heard rumours that there were weird animals being moved in here," the last boy contributed, eyes straying to the kittens, who had bounded over to Kenobi's feet after the shock of the intruders and were playing in between the safety of his legs whilst the situation was dealt with.

Waxer though he saw Kenobi's lips twitch.

"You shouldn't disobey directives," Cody told them and they all wilted under his stern disappointment.

The prince didn't say orders. Those were reserved for the older clones. They still kept a lot of military jargon around the young ones, but they tried to ween that one out. It was hard, attempting to break their own brainwashing, deciding what needed to be stopped and what parts of their training and their childhoods (if you could really call them that) should be kept. And then, figuring out how to teach their vod'ika so that they would blend cohesively with the whole, but also not be indoctrinated into the same beliefs and stories that they'd all been raised with.

It was something he knew the Court and the carers were still struggling with, especially since they'd made the executive decision to continue basic combat training for everyone as well as keep a strong army sustained, even if there were many other options in addition to that profession now available on Vodera.

"Hang on, how did you get in?" Rex asked, always thinking about the strategy.

It's why him and Cody were so good together. They were both some of the best strategists that the program had, even if Rex hadn't made it into commander training. That fact really said more about the Kaminoans than it did him though. None of the CTs had made it higher than captain modules (like Rex had been taking), and he had been under extra scrutiny due to his mutation.

Without their combined determination, and the expertise of those others on the Court, the Vode never would have organise themselves as quickly as they did. They would still be under the control of the Kaminoans. Maybe Jango would have made a little more progress, but he wouldn't have had them freed this quickly.

The boy in the centre looked up at Cody and Rex.

"We slipped past during guard rotation."

Cody frowned. "You shouldn't have been able to."

The cadet smirked. "We caused a distraction."

Waxer had to admire the kid's guts. He didn't think even he would be able to meet Rex and Cody's gazes steadily if they were looking at him like that.

Across the clearing, Longshot cleared his throat. "We did get a mention of a malfunctioning cleaning droid throwing rubbish, but we didn't find any signs of tampering."

Cody and Rex glanced at each other.

"That was impressive," Rex complimented and the middle one shrugged.

"I've been taking the extra lessons hosted by Tech."

Meanwhile, the cadet on the right seemed distracted, eyes locked on the two cubs playing around Kenobi's feet, not even breaking his stare to steal glances at Kenobi, like the other two were nervously doing.

"What are your names?" Cody asked.

The one on the left swallowed whilst the one in the middle straightened his shoulders. "I'm Spark, next to me is Reg."

He gestured to the kid who was still staring at the panthers, completely entranced by them.

"That there is Daydream."

That finally seemed to snap the kid out of it because he jolted and shot a glare at Spark.

"It is not! Stop using his name like an insult. It's not funny."

He took a deep breath, cheeks colouring as he seemed to remember just where he was.

His eyes flickered up to Cody and Rex.

"We still don't know your name, cadet," Rex reminded him and the boy ducked his head sheepishly.

"I'm Paws," he mumbled and Waxer almost laughed out loud.

He wouldn't be taking any guesses as to where _that_ one came from.

Cody moved his head ever so slightly, in a way that Waxer was fairly sure meant he was trying to hold back laughter.

His expression was still that of stern disapproval, his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed, though his glare had softened vastly over the course of the conversation so it no longer made Waxer's hair stand up on the back of his neck as he instinctively tried to think of just what he had done wrong or could have forgotten.

That was another reason they'd been able to pull It off - the op that the men had taken to calling the Freedom Assassinations - no one would have guessed that it was Cody that was leading it. He was the best, the most devoted, the most determined soldier. He always looked like he was on duty, was always ready to spring into action.

The perfect commander who appeared to comply readily with everything that was asked of him. Until he dropped the charade.

"I hope your curiosity has been satisfied," Rex said his voice still hard, though he couldn't quite manage the same level of intensity that Cody was still maintaining, clearly too amused with the situation, at least for someone who was on Cody's (and consequently his) protection detail as often as Waxer was.

"Not quite," Paws replied automatically before he slapped a palm across his mouth.

Rex actually let a smile out at that, though he quickly hid it by glancing back at the Jedi.

Cody, who didn't need to, drew attention to himself by shifting again as he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he asked, his voice not quite as gruff as before yet still low and intimidating. "And what exactly would satisfy you?"

The boy's eyes unwillingly flitted to the kittens and Cody sighed, clearly breaking.

He stepped back so that he could turn his gaze between the cadets and Kenobi.

"Do you think the cubs will be okay with a bit of petting?"

Kenobi, who hadn't spoken at all since the cadets had emerged, watching the exchange with a carefully blank expression, startled at being addressed. He looked down at the panthers for a few seconds, who both paused in their rough housing to blink up at the Jedi, before he turned his attention back to Cody.

"They should be fine with that," he informed him, with a friendly smile.

His gaze fell on the kids, who were still sitting on the ground.

"But only if you are very gentle," he reminded them, somehow nailing that balance between kind and firm that Waxer had only seen a few of the best carers achieve.

Kenobi pursed his lips as soon as he said it, glancing up quickly at Rex and Cody, who didn't say anything, only exchanged a charged look that even Waxer couldn’t really read the meaning of.

Not reading his sudden tension, and also obviously forgetting everything they'd ever been taught about Jedi by either the long necks or the older Vode, nodded frantically.

"Yes please!" he gasped and Kenobi smiled.

The Jedi closed his eyes and the kittens paused in their movements once again, looking between the cadets and Kenobi a few times before they butted their heads against Kenobi's legs and cautiously loped off towards the boys.

In the end, all three boys, even Spark, who tried to hold out for a few moments, obviously out of the sake of pride, gave in and reached out towards the animals, though neither of the other two were as enthusiastic as Paws. All three were very gentle, and the kittens stayed relatively still with them, but not responding nearly as warmly as they did to Kenobi. Or either Rex or Cody for that matter.

However, they only got a few pats in before Cody's wrist comm went off. Cody stepped away into the trees, murmuring quietly into his comm for about a minute before he walked back over and cleared his throat, immediately commanding the attention of everyone around them.

"We have to go," he informed Rex and Kenobi immediately stood up.

Cody glanced at him, before he tilted his head at Rex as they locked eyes for a few seconds and Cody looked back at the Jedi.

"It's okay," he said. "You don't have to leave. Waxer and Boil can stay here whilst the cubs get a bit more time to stretch their legs."

Waxer rolled his eyes. Of course, the cubs.

Banthashit.

Cody looked at the cadets.

"You can come with us," he informed them. "We'll return you to your carer on the way to the Court Meeting."

The cadets immediately got to their feet, though Paws took a few moments to give the kittens one last pat and then they were all leaving, Cody and Rex sending parting nods and Paws glancing back over his shoulder to shoot a quick wave at Kenobi.

Once they had been gone for a few minutes, Kenobi looked up at Waxer and Boil.

"I'm sorry your stuck with Jedi watching duty again."

Waxer wanted to say something to reassure him. He would honestly rather stay in the garden than be stuck in the Court Meeting, or, worse, outside it on door duty. They were mostly boring, even if some of the fights were amusing to watch and getting some of the news earlier than it was officially announced to all the Vode was nice, most of the time it was boring as hell. He'd much rather breathe the fresh air that was directed through the gardens by well sculpted air ducts, and he suspected that Kenobi duty would be interesting.

He was saved form answering as Kenobi's gaze snapped to somewhere behind both Waxer and Boil staring off into a cluster of thick bushes.

"You can come out now," he said loudly.

And, lo and behold, yet another cadet came crawling out of the bush.

"Hello," Kenobi greeted, smiling kindly. "Did you sneak in with the others?"

The cadet hesitated and then nodded.

There was something familiar about him though Waxer couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He mentally flipped through all the cadets he'd interacted with in his trips to the Nursery and the Cadet Barracks, trying to match him, but it was hard when they all had mostly identical faces, especially at that age before they were old enough to get tattoos, and many liked to change their hair around, still taking time to experiment with their look.

The cadet was glaring at the ground, fists clenched at his side.

Kenobi glanced at Waxer and Boil raising his eyebrows slightly in a silent plea for help.

Waxer stepped forward, asking the first question that came to mind, "Are you here for the kittens as well?"

The kid shrugged, eyes still fixed on the ground and Kenobi slid carefully off the seat so he was sitting on the floor. He held out his hands to the panthers, who had once again returned to him after the others had left, and closed his eyes briefly.

This time, the cubs seemed more reluctant to leave Kenobi's side, both of them slinking away a few metres, cutting glances back at the Jedi the whole way.

They didn't go all the way to the cadet, instead sitting down and looking expectantly up at him tail twitching. The cadet moved his gaze slightly upwards towards them, his glare faltering.

"It's alright," Kenobi urged. "As long as you're gentle, they'll like you."

The kid slowly took a few steps forward, kneeling down so he could lightly run his hands over their heads. The cubs bristled briefly before they relaxed, submitting to the petting.

"Thank you," the cadet muttered and the hard catch of his voice sparked something in Waxer's mind.

His gut twisted as he realised exactly who that was.

He didn't get time to act before someone in full beskar armour was striding into the clearing.

"Boba Fett!" Jango yelled before he turned a murderous glare on Kenobi, who had paled significantly.

"You're dead, _jetii._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a link to how I think the cubs look: https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/dfee6l/black_panther_cubs/
> 
> The only differences are that the patterns are a brighter grey and that Tahlia had a paths of grey in the center of her head whilst Qui-Kin has one on his chest.
> 
> Did anyone get the sense that I ship Waxer/Boil? 
> 
> Also, is everyone liking that I'm gearing it towards Rex/Cody/Obi-Wan?
> 
> What was Cody's call about?
> 
> Also, I'm very sorry that this took longer than usual, every time I've sat down to write this week, I've become distracted. 
> 
> Once again, chapter title suggestions are appreciated. I'm sorry if you commented about those recently, and I didn’t respond AO3's temporarily downed emails have really messed with all that for me.


	10. Before Obi-Wan Gets Beat Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good old fashioned Obi-Wan whump

Obi-Wan was on his feet before he could fully register the situation, instinct demanding that he have as much range of movement as possible.

He only barely managed to reign in his instinctive panic in time to stop the Force shove he had been getting ready to throw at Fett. Instead, he directed the energy he'd gathered into sending a firm command to the cubs to stay put with Boba.

He felt the spikes of shock and aggression radiating from them. He'd never _made_ them do something before, always asked through the tentative Force bond they'd formed. They didn't like it. At all.

Obi-Wan didn't have time to worry about the kittens' ire. In the time he'd used to concentrate on making sure they wouldn't jump into the fray, Jango had crossed the distance between them, approaching much faster than Obi-Wan had been prepared fpr.

"It's not how it looks," he tried to explain, keeping his voice calm.

However, Jango didn't seem to be in the listening mood.

His features were set into a furious snarl as he lunged forward the last few metres, pulling his arm back and socking Obi-Wan across the jaw.

Obi-Wan's head snapped to the side so hard that he felt a jarring pain shoot down the back of his neck. He stumbled to the side a few steps, but kept his feet. He felt a prick at the edge of his awareness and listened to the Force's warning, dodging to the side just in time to ensure that the blow aimed at his abdomen glanced off his ribs instead of hitting him with all its force.

The blow still knocked the air out of his lungs, pushing a grunt out of him as he backpedalled desperately. However, before he could back off too far, he was being swept off his feet, slamming onto his back.

It took him a moment to realise that the cause of his fall was the cord that had been shot out of Fett's vambrace and wrapped around one of his calves.

In the time that Obi-Wan was processing his situation, Fett had already strode forward and picked him up, turning him around and slamming him against the stone bench, sharp pain spiking across his back as his body unwilling folded into the chair. Fett pinned him to the seat with an arm across Obi-Wan's neck, pushing it into the back of the chair, and a knee leaning heavily into his thigh.

However, Obi-Wan's airway had only been constricted for a few seconds before Fett was being pulled off him and thrown to the ground. Fett growled, and went to push himself up only to be stopped by Waxer and Boil, who both pounced on him, holding him down by both shoulders.

"Stay down," Boil commanded, his voice just shy of a growl.

"The Jedi didn't know Boba was here," Waxer explained his voice just as hostile.

"They're telling the truth, buir," Boba contributed, stepping forward and peering down at his father. "I snuck in. The rumour amongst the cadets was that there would be some weird animals."

Fett froze as he look up at his son. They stared at each other for a few seconds before he visibly relaxed.

"Alright," he grumbled.

When Waxer and Boil didn't move, he jerked his head up.

"I'm fine!" he snapped.

They glanced at each other, before they both moved off him. Boil hovered near him, his weapon raised and presumably turned to stun, whilst Waxer strode over to Obi-Wan, who was still blinking spots out of his vision.

He sat forward as Waxer approached, relieving some of the stress on his stinging back and rubbed his throat.

"Are you alright?" Waxer asked, his voice gentle as he bent down so the visor of his helmet was level with Obi-Wan's eyes.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, pushing his various sources of pain to the back of his mind.

He was sure there was nothing that wouldn't be healed by some rest and a light healing trance.

He even managed a small smile as the cubs ran forward and pounced up onto his lap, crawling across it and the seat anxiously as they rubbed their bodies against him.

However, when Qui-Kin butted his head against his ribs, he couldn't restrain his sharp intake of breath as a spike of pain laced up his side.

Waxer leaned forward, but didn't touch Obi-Wan, obviously not quite sure what to do.

Boil glanced over at them, clearing his throat as he allowed Jango to push himself to his feet, though his blaster was still aimed at him threateningly.

"Cody's still in a meeting, but he said to get Kenobi to Medical. Kix is getting ready to treat him," he informed them, confirming Obi-Wan's suspicion that their helmets had comm lines and voice muffling abilities.

Obi-Wan stomach twisted and his breath stuck in his throat.

He hated going to healers. Hated the lack of control. He'd worked so hard for his control, of his emotions in every situation and of his body in every movement. It had been a constant battle for the young, angry, awkward padawan he had been. He'd struggled to shape his rather mediocre raw talents into something that he could be proud of, that others wouldn't scorn. It felt like a defeat every time he had to give some of it up to someone else. 

"That's unnecessary," he assured them, pushing himself to his feet. "I am perfectly fine."

Boil tilted his head to the side and Obi-Wan could feel the frustration rolling off him in waves.

"It was an order," he informed Obi-Wan tersely.

"Even if it wasn't, you should go," Waxer added, gesturing to Obi-Wan's back. "You're bleeding."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, focusing on slowing his breaths, which had begun to hitch.

It had been years since he'd had a panic attack about going to a healer. He'd thought he was over it by now.

He forced himself to remember the calming techniques Healer Che had taught him all those years ago, when he'd started crying outside the Halls of Healing. Master Qui-Gon hadn’t understood why his barely fourteen year old padawan was refusing to step inside, and Obi-Wan hadn't told him about how the smell of bacta reminded him of children dying.

He concentrated on what he could hear around him, the rustling of the leaves, the slow trickle of the stream. He breathed in, smelling the crisp earthiness of the trees around him. As he did, he ran through Rylothi verb conjugations until the pounding of his heart was no longer deafening.

He wrenched his eyes open to find every gaze in the clearing trained on him.

"Kenobi?" Waxer asked quietly, his hand making an aborted move to reach out and touch him.

The wish that he'd actually done it crashed over Obi-Wan like a tidal wave and he took in a shuddering breath to push back the sudden tightness behind his eyes.

"I'll go," he managed to get out without his voice shaking, though it was quieter than he'd intended it to be.

He glanced backwards and both the cubs jumped up, one perching on his shoulder whilst the other ran over to Boba.

Waxer nodded at him and went to move off and Boil took a step back, still not dropping his blaster.

"You too, Jango," he said and Fett raised his eyebrow.

"You hit your head when we threw you off Kenobi. You know regs regarding head injuries."

Instead of protesting further, Fett just sighed and started leading the way out of the garden, Boil following a few paces behind him, finally lowering his weapon, but not putting it in its holster. Boba bent down and picked up Qui-Kin, who had bounded over to him, before he followed his father with a glance back at Obi-Wan.

If Obi-Wan hadn't wanted to go to medical before, he really didn’t want to now. He needed to take yet a another deep breath before he could force himself to move.

Waxer kept pace beside him as they followed about a dozen metres behind Fett, who was weaving his way through the wide, sprawling hallways of the Barracks.

He glanced at Obi-Wan a few minutes into their journey.

"Are you alright?"

Obi-Wan frowned, roused from the sickening spiral of his own thoughts, which were gradually becoming more panicked.

"I told you before. I'm fine."

He winced at his own shortness with the guard. He was just concerned.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Waxer shook his head. "No it's okay. It's just the cuts on your back have soaked through your tunics. It looks painful."

Obi-Wan winced, even though he knew from Waxer's earlier observation that his wounds were showing. Every few days, a vod would come in to take his dirty clothes, returning them fully cleaned and dry by the end of the day. Not that not having access to a certain outfit inconvenienced Obi-Wan. He'd only brought replicas of the same traditional Jedi robes he almost always wore.

He was glad he wasn't wearing his cloak. He had no idea if they'd be able to get the blood out, and even though his other clothes were exact copies of what he was currently wearing, he still did not relish the thought of losing one of his few physical ties to the Temple.

He immediately chastised himself for the thought. Jedi were not meant to become attached to physical possessions. They were allowed to keep mementos and trinkets, obviously, but their training was aimed at ensuring that they would not be emotionally compromised if they lost any material object, including their lightsabers which were attuned to them.

Obi-Wan missed his lightsaber. It was far enough away from him that he couldn't hear the crystal singing out for him and he missed its gentle hum of energy that promised protection whenever he needed it.

Obi-Wan clenched his fists to ground himself and pull himself out of his spiralling thoughts.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks," he assured Waxer.

His back didn't really hurt. It only stung a bit, as if he had just scraped it across a sharp rock. Which, he supposed, he had.

However, his jaw and ribs were both beginning to ache.

But not bad enough for him to see a healer.

Force, all Obi-Wan wanted to do was go back to his room and lie down so he could get some rest and then spend the next few hours in a healing trance. Alone, preferably, so he could have at least some slight buffer between him and the oppressive push of unshielded Force signatures pressing in around him.

Waxer regarded him as they continued to walk, his disbelief palpable in the Force around him.

"Well, either way, it'll only be a few minutes before he we get to Medical," he informed Obi-Wan.

He was correct.

Only a few, too-short minutes later, Obi-Wan was pausing outside of the threshold of a small yet spacious room that was somehow even more clean and sterile than the rest of the community.

A man with lightning tattoos on his head was already waiting with two beds set up, his arms crossed as they entered. He did not look impressed to say the least.

"You know I don't like treating wounds from fights outside of training," he all but growled at Fett as he pointed him towards one of the beds before ushering Obi-Wan onto the other.

Fett cast a glare towards Obi-Wan, though the wild, all-consuming rage from earlier was gone.

"Tunics off," the medic ordered and Obi-Wan blinked at him.

"Excuse me?" he asked, voice pitched politely like he'd trained himself to do automatically.

"You heard me," the medic grunted. "I need to clean those cuts, and make sure nothing else is wrong with you."

If this had been Coruscant, Obi-Wan might have tried shrug an evaluation off. He only needed a little bit of bacta and maybe some tea. But they weren't at the Temple now, and he had to do what these men said. He wasn't going to push his luck over something as stupid as this. Not when he would be testing their patience by asking for stuff for the kittens, as well as for more comm calls.

So, Obi-Wan complied with the command, and sat, hunched awkwardly and bare-chested as the medic (Kix, he'd heard Waxer greet him as) checked his eyes for responses. After confirming that Obi-Wan didn't have a concussion, and putting some sort of herbal mask on the darkening bruise on his jaw, he gently pushed Obi-Wan so that he was lying stomach-down on the bed.

He shivered involuntarily as he heard Kix mutter angrily under his breath. He felt way too exposed like this.

He clenched his fists and pressed his head into the pillow but still couldn't stop the whole body shudder that ripped through his body as people shuffled around him running scans across his body to ensure he had no broken bones or internal injuries.

A hand lightly brushed the top of his shoulder and Obi-Wan sucked in a breath.

"Kenobi?" that was Waxer's voice, drifting across the room. He knew it was Kix who had brushed his shoulder, he could feel the unfamiliar Force signature brushing against his awareness right next to his head.

All these new people combined with the sharp hostility emanating from Fett made it very hard for him to release his emotions into the Force. He didn't like the churning anxiety that made him want to curl up. He needed to be alone. Just for a few minutes. He needed time to recentre himself.

The medic next to him grunted when Obi-Wan didn't respond and Obi-Wan reflexively threw more strength into his shields, even though he knew that there was no Force sensitive around to glean his emotions or thoughts. They were still necessary to ensure they didn't project rudely onto other people, like any Force sensitive who didn't have control was prone to do.

"I'm not in pain," he assured them. "I'm fine. Just keep going please."

_'Get it over with,'_ he wanted to plead. _'Quickly.'_

He could dully feel Kix's displeasure, obviously being forcefully repressed. However, though most of the Vode were good at hiding most of their thoughts - their constant shielding was probably a side effect of the intense _abusive_ training of their childhood that Obi-Wan only had a vague idea of from his conversations with Cody - but they hadn't been trained to shield their emotions from Force sensitives.

Obi-Wan had managed to keep up his shields tight enough to not feel any but the most intense ones for the first few weeks, but it was exhausting to put that much energy into shielding constantly, so he resigned himself to the constant barrage of anger and frustration and joy and lust and aggression that barrelled into him constantly, leaving Obi-Wan with a pervasive, dull ache in the back of his skull.

The temple was always filled with a calm. Everyone who resided there was taught shielding, in fact, it was the first thing taught to younglings when they entered the creche. Even when someone's control slipped, a common occurrence especially amongst the younger patrons of the Temple, the very walls were so soaked with generations worth of Jedi's energy as well as old Force rituals that ensured that the emotions did not debilitate those around them and instead dispersed placidly.

The sheer peacefulness of the Temple had been a blessing in those beginning few years of Anakin's training. He remembered the first couple of missions that Anakin had been on, when he would occasionally overwhelm Obi-Wan with his outbursts, literally sending him to ground with his half-trained power combined with his unstableness. It wasn't until later that they were both able to feed off each other and draw strength from their presences to fortify their own shields and distance themselves from the emotions of the non Force sensitives they were surrounded by outside the Temple.

He wasn't in the Temple anymore. He was alone.

And there was none of his beloved peace to be found. 

"I'm about to clean your wounds, alright?" Kix said, his voice a gentle murmur. "It might sting a little."

Obi-Wan nodded into the pillow, making an affirmative humming sound, unable to clear the thickness from his throat enough to speak.

He froze as Kix started cleaning the wound with gentle strokes of a cloth soaked in some sort of solution. Not because it stung, he barely even felt that, but because of the fingers that Kix's free hand was pressing oh so lightly into the skin above the wound.

Obi-Wan screwed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the tingles that spread across his back as Kix cleaned and then applied bacta to the long, messy cut that ran across of bis upper back from where it had been rammed into the sharp edge of the back of the chair and scraped his skin away as he was pushed down onto the seat.

Kix sealed a large gauze over the injured area of his back before he moved away with an order for Obi-Wan to stay down.

Obi-Wan barely heard him, sucking in deep breaths as he suppressed his shaking, trying and failing to slip into a meditative state. All his instincts were screaming 'danger' at him too loud for him to relax and he was too exhausted to ignore the emotions that swirled around the room.

He was so distracted with his own internal predicament that he almost jumped right off the bed when Kix pressed a sticky substance to Obi-Wan's side.

"Sorry," Kix murmured, and Obi-Wan could no longer feel any of the underlying irritation that the medic had been feeling when he'd first entered. In fact, a while ago it had been replaced by a determination which was now eclipsed by his genuine remorse as he put a hand on Obi-Wan's lower back to steady him.

Something sharp pricked behind Obi-Wan's eyes, but the hand was removed too quickly as Kix resumed smearing a mixture onto his bruised ribs before he sealed it in with another gauze.

Obi-Wan had almost managed to calm himself down when his efforts were bowled over by a storm of anger that sent the constant throb in the back of his head spiking.

"What happened here?" King Cody growled from the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Otherwise known as: Being able to feel others' emotions does not necessarily mean you can understand them
> 
> Obi-Wan is very good with other people, but at the moment he's too Stressed to deal with everything. 
> 
> And yes, I was talking about Melidaa/Daan in that half a throw away line. 
> 
> I got to add some tags that intersect some of my favourite Obi-Wan tropes in this chapter. 
> 
> If anyone has touch starved Obi-Wan fics to rec, I'd be very grateful. I'm desperate. Even if I've read it before, I'll probably reread it. Or, a touch starved Good Omens fic or one shot would not be unappreaciated either.
> 
> Feel free to comment or send a message or ask on tumblr.


	11. Cody is a Good Leader Because He Knows How to Manage his Emotions... Mostly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody gets confronted with a few things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for panic attacks.

Cody tried and failed to clamp down on his anger as he strode towards the smaller medical room that he'd told Boil to take Kenobi and Fett to. This didn't need to be done in full view of everyone.

Rex, blessedly, had announced that he could take over the review of the proposals that a dozen or so planets had submitted to them, inviting the new members of the Alliance to visit them. Each one was long and winding and Cody just knew they were all full of slight double meanings and political snags that would need to be interpreted and dealt with. In fact, he'd planned to get both Fett and Kenobi to look over them. Until he'd received the call from Boil.

He'd finally gotten Jango to stop grumbling about Kenobi last week, but Boba just _had_ to sneak into the _one_ place that was out of bounds for him. Honestly, Cody should have known. The kid was always at least somewhat involved with any major cadet mischief.

He should have been more diligent. They all knew and understood Jango's fierce protectiveness. None of the Court had even thought about trying to convince Jango to let Boba around the Jedi.

But Jango knew about their rules surrounding unprovoked attacks. They all felt some amount of animosity towards the Jedi, but that didn't excuse him breaking the laws that they'd worked so hard to put in place.

Both Boil and Waxer had sent him videos of the fight. He couldn't quite identify the feeling he'd experienced at the sight of the wide-eyed alarm on Kenobi's face as he tried (and failed) to back away from Fett. His gut was still churning from the shot Waxer's visor had had of Kenobi-s back, blood slowing darkening his pale tunics.

He stormed through Medical, pausing in the doorway of the private room that Kix was treating Kenobi and Fett in.

"What happened here?" he asked, his voice a low growl. 

He wanted to yell. To yell at Fett for his attack. To yell at Kenobi for not properly defending himself. To yell at Waxer and Boil for not stopping him sooner.

However, he reined himself in, taking a deep breath.

He knew this was a misunderstanding. The whole fight (if you could really call it that) had taken place over only a handful of seconds. Waxer and Boil had responded well and quickly, successfully deescalating the situation. They didn't deserve to be reprimanded just because _he_ was feeling shitty.

His train of thought shuttered as his eyes were drawn to Kenobi hastily pushing himself into a sitting position. Kix let out a distressed yell and shot across the room to the Jedi's side.

"You kriffing di'kut," he growled, breaking off with a sigh when he failed to get to Kenobi before he'd sat all the way. "Just don't move. You didn't mess up your gauzes this time, but they're delicate."

He trailed off, muttering darkly under his breath as he moved off to one side of the room to prepare something.

Cody still couldn't really find words, the back of his throat dry and his tongue heavy.

Kenobi's muscles looked as if they were sculpted from stone. Cody had never seen him out of his many tunics and robes and had, for some reason, assumed that he would be… softer under all those layers.

But the Jedi contradicted this expectation, like so many others, his muscles firm and defined through his arms and torso. The image sent a warm gentle heat through Cody's blood.

However, Kenobi's surprising fitness wasn't the most shocking thing about the sight before him. Kenobi was covered in scars. That in itself wasn't completely astounding. Intellectually, Cody knew that Jedi went on dangerous missions, and he'd read and heard enough stories about the types of situations they poked their noses in.

The part of the scene in front of him that truly shocked him were the many scars Kenobi toted that obviously _hadn't_ been treated using any advanced medical techniques. The Jedi supposedly had some of the best healing facilities in the galaxy. So why did Kenobi look like he'd been stuck in an Outer Rim warzone?

Cody tried not to stare at the macabre, explosive scar that licked its way around Kenobi's side, creeping across his abdomen of the blaster wounds that dotted his chest and shoulders which had obviously not healed correctly.

He looked like one of the unlucky brothers who had gotten into a skirmish at the start of survival training and then were still forced to carry out the months alone in the simulated woods that the long necks had created for them to attempt to survive in.

Cody had a similar scare on his own chest, and he knew from experience how much it could ache.

Kenobi shifted uncomfortably as silence stretched across the room, hunching his shoulders slightly in an uncharacteristic display of emotion.

That wasn't true. Cody had been able to read plenty of emotion from Kenobi. It would be hypocritical of him to claim the Jedi unfeeling when Cody himself was just as reserved.

No, what Kenobi was showing was an uncharacteristic display of _vulnerability_.

"It was just a misunderstanding, King Cody," Kenobi murmured, his voice quieter than usual.

Cody pursed his lips, his anger spiking.

A _misunderstanding_ shouldn't end with someone hurt. They should be better than that.

Kenobi tensed ever so slightly and something sharp twisted through Cody's gut.

"How are you?" he asked.

Kenobi lowered his eyes so he wasn't looking directly at Cody's face.

"Kix has taken care of my injuries. I'm fine."

"I'll be the judge of that," the medic snapped and Kenobi tensed even further.

Cody turned his attention to Kix, raising an eyebrow in silent question and Kix sighed.

"The injuries Kenobi obtained have been treated. Though I would like to check up on them tomorrow and over the next week or so."

Cody nodded, a tight knot in his chest that he hadn't even known was there, loosening slightly.

Kenobi let out a slightly hitched breath and Cody's attention snapped back to him.

"Does that mean I am permitted to leave?"

Cody took in the tense lines of Kenobi's body and his lowered eyes. There really was no reason to keep him here, especially since he was so obviously uncomfortable.

He glanced at Kix, who nodded tightly.

"Of course," Cody replied. "Waxer and Boil can take you back to your room."

Some of the tension in Kenobi's body loosened as he wilted slightly.

"Thank you, King Cody," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Before he could stand up, Kix stepped in front of him, peering down at him severely.

"Keep your gauzes on. Don't take a shower. Wait another three hours before you wash the mask off, and do it carefully when you do. It's going to dry into your beard," Kix ordered. "Absolutely no lifting anything and nothing else physically straining. When you sleep, try and lie on your stomach or your right side, not on your injuries."

Kenobi nodded seriously, and Cody could see both Waxer and Boil also listening intently. Good.

Kix pursed his lips before he stepped away.

"Alright, go on. And rest."

Kenobi nodded again, even as he pushed himself off the bed. "Yes Kix."

The cubs, who had previously been curled up under the chair that Boba was hunched in, both perked up at Kenobi's movement, padding over to him and rubbing themselves against his legs.

A small smile flickered across Kenobi's as he peered down at them and he started to bend over but froze in his emotion at Kix's low growl. He straightened again and ducked his head.

"It seems that someone else will have to carry them back," Kenobi observed.

The cubs appeared to understand him, butting their heads against his shins before they bounded off. The one with light grey patches over its paws like little booties - Qui-Kin - loping over to Boil and climbing his armour within seconds before he jumped from Boil's shoulder to Waxer's scrambling slightly before he settled on the suddenly completely still trooper.

Tahlia, with the small grey patch on her head, ran over to Cody, sitting primly at his feet, leaning lightly against his shin guard, whilst her tail burled around his ankle. In no world did Cody have the heart to move her.

"I'll drop her off later," he informed Kenobi, finding it a little hard to remember just why he had been so angry a few minutes ago.

Kenobi bestowed Cody with a nervous, yet genuine smile, that made Cody's lips twitch upwards. He looked as if he was going to take a step before a small shiver shook his body.

"I don't suppose I can get a shirt?" he asked his arms rising to wrap around his lower ribs.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't, it could pull at the wounds," Kix said with an apologetic grimace. "Not until I check up on you tomorrow. In fact, avoid pushing your back up against anything."

Kenobi pressed his lips together, but a moment later, his expression cleared.

"Of course."

He gave Cody a respectful nod.

"Thank you, King Cody."

Cody watched him go, his thoughts running wild. Was Kenobi walking slower than usual? He was definitely holding himself strangely. He wasn't usually that stiff. Or did his many layers of clothing just hide it?

As soon as the footsteps of the Jedi and his guard had faded completely, Cody turned his attention back to Kix. He hadn't missed the medic's peculiar wording to his earlier question.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Kix sighed. "What isn't?"

Cody stayed silent, even though the medic's reaction had made his heart jump into his throat.

"He's not going to die," Kix assured him, though Cody knew that he'd shown no outside image of his reaction.

"However, his tests showed that he had an unhealthily high blood pressure. Though, that could have been because the medical environment elevated his stress levels. As you could see, he has scar tissue that needs continuous treatment, and his muscles are holding a large amount of tightness that _can't_ be comfortable."'

Cody fought to keep his expression neutral.

"On top of that, is the obvious case of touch starvation and that's not even mentioning any issues he might have that are unique to Jedi."

Kriff.

Cody hadn't even thought of that.

Why hadn't he thought of that?

"How do we… help him?"

Kix shrugged. "I don't really know. The scars can be treated easily enough. It's not like we don't have practice, and muscle tension can also be helped with similar methods. However, I'm concerned about Kenobi's reaction to touch. He almost had a panic attack multiple times whilst I was treating him. If we try to treat him, I might overwhelm him."

Kix sighed. "I just - I don't know. We need to find information on treating Jedi. I'm sure there's something we're missing. The long necks didn't have anything in the training modules about maintaining the health of a Jedi."

Cody frowned at that. They'd been told that all their lives that they'd been made _for_ the Jedi. To fight under them and to support them on the battlefield. Many aspects of their training had been dedicated to being prepared for the Jedi's powers and not being surprised by any random floating objects. So, why hadn't there been any information on how to _treat_ Jedi?

They knew that some Jedi could accelerate their healing, but that was it.

There must have been more to it than that. Right?

"I'll talk with the Council about reaching out to get more information on Jedi health," Cody murmured.

Bly should be arriving on Coruscant any day now. Maybe he could pass a message along to the Jedi asking for information. They'd need to word it just right though. A skill which, ironically, Kenobi had taught them much about. Even more than Jango had.

"What can we do while we wait?" he asked.

"You and anyone else he trusts should start out small and get him used to touches," Kix informed him. "Bump your shoulders together if you're walking or sitting side by side. Put your hand on his arm or his shoulder. Slowly work your way up to hugging him so you don't overwhelm him."

Cody rose an eyebrow.

Kix met his gaze unflinchingly. "Yes hugging. Symptoms of touch starvation include heightened anxiety, stress, depression and troubles sleeping. Lack of touch can affect the chemicals in someone's brain. Ideally you'll be able to give him a hug that spans around twenty seconds since it takes about that long of constant touch to release oxytocin."

Cody swallowed, his gut churning. He'd seen the signs of Kenobi's increasing anxiety, and the amount of time he was spending in his bedroom had been slowly, but steadily decreasing.

"Alright," he said. "I'll do… that, while we find a way to contact, well, the Jedi I guess. No one else has more information on caring for Force Users I guess?"

Kix gave a sharp nod before he moved off to start putting away the equipment he'd gotten out to treat Kenobi.

As he did that, Cody finally turned his attention to the main source of his ire, levelling an unimpressed stare at Jango.

"What the hell was that?" he snapped, crossing his arms.

Jango, who was holding an icepack to the bac of his head and had, wisely stared silent throughout the entire previous interactions, making himself an unobtrusive storm cloud on the bed he was sitting on.

"I didn't think," Jango replied, a scowl on his features.

Cody raised his eyebrow. "You attacked someone because you didn't think?"

"He was near my adiik," Jango answered his tone hardening. "You can't forget what the Jedi did."

Cody sighed. "I know. But Kenobi has helped us. More than he's needed to."

"What would he have done if you hadn't freed yourself?" Jango asked. "If that demogalka, Dooku hadn’t destroyed all those droid factories."

Cody glared at him. He didn't want to think about that.

"Both those things happened, though," he fired back. "And Kenobi lives here now. We promised we would be better than the long necks. That we would work with the galaxy. That means we can't just hurt him for no reason."

Before Jango could make an excuse again, Cody barrelled on, putting a hard edge in his voice. "I've seen the footage. Boba was obviously not under distress. Kenobi wasn't even near him."

"Jedi don't need to be _near_ someone to hurt them," Jango replied.

Cody pursed his lips. He'd heard Jango's stories of Jedi tossing people back so hard that they broke bones back on Galidraan. Hell, he'd seen Kenobi _hold up a kriffing crane with his mind._

"But Kenobi didn't even _try_ and use the Force on you."

"He can't," Jango reasoned. "Your little agreement says so."

"Exactly, he can't hurt Boba without breaking the agreement."

Jango scowled.

Cody sighed. He knew this was a difficult situation for everyone, but he still needed to do this.

"I've got to punish you Jango."

No one was above their laws. Even those on the Council, kriff, even Cody that one time he'd slammed Wolffe against a wall and followed it up with a few punches when he'd pushed just a little too much during an argument.

"We've got to double your community service hours and put you on night shifts for the next three weeks," he said, giving out the standard sentence for first time offenders, even though something inside of him wanted to give him a more severe punishment.

Jango nodded curtly at him, and didn't argue. Cody bent down and picked Tahlia up, casting a glance at Boba, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He trusted Jango to deal with him.

Say what he will about the bounty hunter, Jango was a good father.

Now organise _another_ Council meeting and return a cub to his husband.

\----

As soon as the door closed behind Obi-Wan sunk to the floor. Waxer had only stayed in his rooms long enough to deposit Qui-Kin on the couch and give Obi-Wan a small nod.

And now Obi-Wan was on his knees, his breaths coming in sharp and shuddering.

He'd managed to keep himself together long enough to get back to his room, but now, without eyes on him, Obi-Wan couldn't hold back the waves of panic that hit him full force.

He was choking. He couldn't breathe.

He heaved, curling forward in a way that made his back sting.

He felt drops of water trail down his face as his body shook, memories of his time on Melida/Daan with their limited medical supplies that were never enough assaulting his mind. Inevitably, his thoughts spiralled through the various other injuries he'd received on missions or times he'd been forced to hastily attempt to heal others, finally getting stuck on the memory of holding Qui-Gon in his arms as he bled out, watching his master choke on his own blood.

No. Not this.

Why was it always this?

Another spike of pain through his back pulled him back to the present and he straightened, in response to it, his body automatically assuming a meditation position with his legs folded under him, his backside on his ankles.

He hadn't used this position in years.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, sinking into the comforting flow of the Force as he pulled himself out of his thoughts by focusing on the soft pads of Qui-Kin's paws as he prowled around the room.

He knew he needed to deal with his own emotions before he could attempt to enter a healing trance.

Eventually, his breathing evened out and his tears dried, but he couldn't quite stop the small shudders that shook his body.

He dove deeper, searching for the calm he used to experience when meditating.

He didn't know how much time passed when he suddenly went rigid, snapping back to his body to find someone crouching in front of him.

He jerked backwards violently and would have toppled over if Cody hadn't caught with a steadying hand across his bicep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support. I want you all to know that I read all your comments even if I don't reply. 
> 
> This last week and the next one have been and will busy for me as I have had and will have tests, which is why it took the whole week. As you know, I usually like to update a little sooner, but I will try and keep my updates to at least once a week, but ideally every four or five days. 
> 
> Again. Thank you. 
> 
> We're getting to a but more the hurt/comfort with only a small sprinkling of plot. 
> 
> Thanks to all the fic recs. I am always open to more. 
> 
> This week I am asking if you know any good descriptive fics where Obi-Wan gets a massage?
> 
> I don't really care about ships for this. 
> 
> I don't ship Qui-Gon/ Obi-Wan but I'm obsessed with the description in AssassinOfRome's Don't Touch Me Please (I Cannot Stand The Way You Tease).
> 
> Was there too much angst and whump in this chapter or was it too much?


	12. In Which Cody is a Coast Guard Without a Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a bit of unplanned Cody angst in this chapter.
> 
> Warning for a panic attack.

The meeting went on far longer than Cody had intended it to.

When did they not?

Cody had had a vague idea of dropping by the Court Chambers, where he knew the rest of the leaders were still puzzling over the proposals, to mention his intention to reach out to the Jedi for information on any illnesses that concerned Force Users specifically, before he would leave to drop off Tahlia in order to dodge the worst of the fallout and return after things had calmed down.

Of course, that didn't happen. He'd made his announcement and attempted to escape only for Rex to pin him in place with a low growl. The glare he'd gotten from his vod had promised great pain if Cody carried out his plan and left Rex to wrangle the Court all by himself. Since Cody was generally uninterested in feuding with the person he shared a room with, he'd elected to stay.

Tahlia had stayed glued to him the whole time, using him as her own personal climbing frame, except for the half an hour or so she'd ventured to Rex's lap when Cody had been standing with Fox, peering over logistics.

It took a whole four hours before he could return to Kenobi's room, and they hadn't even finished wording the message they would eventually send to the Jedi Temple.

Cody headed down to the kitchens, intercepting Kenobi's dinner before it could be sent off. There was no use wasting a brother's time when he was already going there.

He ordered Crys and Trapper, who were on his guard shift (something that Cody hadn't been able to convince anyone that he didn't need, his Court agreeing that if there was someone who wasn't happy about the investment of the clones going to waste, Cody would be the first target for assassins) to stay with the guards at the door. He wasn't going to be long anyway. He was just here to drop off Tahlia and the food and then he'd be joining his brothers for dinner in the Mess.

He knew something was wrong as soon as he closed the door behind him.

To be fair, floating things was a pretty big hint.

Every single object in the room was hovering about a metre above the floor and many of them were vibrating in their place in the air. In the centre of the room, Kenobi was kneeling, sitting on his ankles, his shoulders a tense line and his fists clenched in his lap as Qui-Kin paced around him, his tail twitching in agitation.

Cody set the tray of food and tea down on the (thankfully steady) dining table as Tahlia leaped off his shoulder to join her brother in his pacing.

"Kenobi," Cody called out gently.

Unlike the first (and last) time Cody had caught Kenobi mid-meditation, the man didn't respond. He just knelt there, completely still.

Cody tentatively walked over to the Jedi, glancing around furtively at the floating objects as he came to a stop less than a metre in front of his kneeling form.

"Kenobi," he said, a little louder this time.

Still nothing.

Cody frowned, his gut twisting.

He hesitated before he knelt down

"Obi-Wan Kenobi!" he said, his voice sharp with worry.

The Jedi in front of him jolted, flailing and tilting backwards as his eyes snapped open. Without thinking, Cody reached out to steady him, his right hand on Kenobi's firm bicep.

The Jedi looked around the room wildly, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He blinked, his face slackening for a second before he once again closed his eyes and bowed his head.

A shudder rippled through Kenobi's body and a moment later, all the objects lowered steadily to the ground.

Kenobi let out a harsh breath as he looked up.

"I'm - I'm sorry," Kenobi gasped his body trembling lightly.

Cody stared, not knowing what to do as Kenobi heaved in shaking breaths. He'd never seen the Jedi so discomposed.

"I haven't… I don't," Kenobi broke off. He was almost hyperventilating now. "I lost control."

The raw devastation in the man's hoarse voice is what finally pushed Cody to move.

He loosened his grip on Kenobi's arm, only then realising that he still hadn't let go of the man. He rubbed soothing circles into the man's bicep and took hold of Kenobi's right hand, pressing it to his chest.

"It's alright, Kenobi," he soothed, his voice pitched in the same tone he used to use when he was soothing his batchmates after particularly scarring training sessions. Now, he reserved it for when he came across an upset cadet, or for when Rex had nightmares.

"Just breathe with me."

He expanded his chest as far as it would go when he sucked it, making sure that Kenobi could feel his breathing beneath the palm held to Cody's chest.

It took a few seconds, but eventually it worked and Kenobi's own breathing became steadier, though Cody could still feel the man's light trembling beneath the fingers that hadn't stopped their calming ministrations on the man's arm.

"I'm sorry," the man mumbled after a few minutes of silence. "I shouldn't have…"

He looked down instead of finishing his sentence, tucking his chin to his chest.

"It's okay," Cody assured him gently but Kenobi shook his head.

"A Jedi needs to have control," the man protested, still not meeting Cody's eyes, his gaze trained on the carpet between their knees as he spoke. "People get hurt if we don't."

Cody frowned. That was the first time he'd heard _that_ piece of information.

However, he decided that that moment was probably not the time to push the issue. Not when Kenobi looked like he was going to collapse in on himself at any second.

"That was unacceptable," Kenobi said, a hard edge in his voice. "My apologies that you got caught up in it."

Cody swallowed. "You didn't hurt me. The stuff just hovered off the floor."

"But I didn't _know_ I was doing it," Kenobi replied.

The man pressed his eyes shut a blew out a frustrated sigh. "You don't understand."

In the next moment he snapped his head up. "My apologies, King Cody. I forgot myself."

Cody really didn't know how to deal with all this. He felt like he was getting whiplash.

"I would understand if you wanted to… if you think you need to…"

Cody felt his eyes widened as he figured out what the man was suggesting. He'd thought that that was behind them. The Court hadn't talked about restraining Kenobi in any way for weeks. Not even Wolffe had mentioned anything. Cody hadn't even wanted to contemplate the option of Force inhibitors, much less actually threaten the man with them.

"I won't do that," Cody said sharply and Kenobi tensed.

Cody sighed. This was going very wrong. The man was meant to be resting.

"Your mask has been on your face for too long," Cody observed, in lieu of actually addressing the issue.

He was right though. The light green paste that dominated the lower half of Kenobi's left jaw was dry and flaking, clumped through the man's light russet beard. Cody remembered when he'd had the same substance applied to his temple and up into his headline after being hit over the head with a spear without a helmet. He also remembered how agonizing is had been to take out. He'd seriously considered just shaving all his hair off.

"May I help you get it out of your beard?" Cody asked.

He needed to be useful at the moment. He couldn't just sit here, in tense silence, and he didn't know what to say to help the man in front of him. He didn't even fully understand what the problem was in the first place. Besides, he wasn't about to leave Kenobi _alone._ Not like this.

Kenobi swallowed and nodded his head. "Of course."

As they got up, Cody briefly wondered whether Kenobi had agreed because he genuinely didn't mind Cody's help, or if he had acquiesced because he didn't believe he could say no. He hated that he even had to consider the question.

He hated not being able to help the man in front of him.

He hated the part of himself that was beginning to trust him.

He hated the Jedi. Of course he hated the Jedi. How could he not? Dooku may have betrayed the Jedi, as the Order had claimed, with the man in their 'custody'. However, he had still been acting on their authority, even if he had also been helping the army on the other side of the would be war as well.

Sometimes, though, it was hard to remember that hate when he was with Kenobi. The man was so… strangely genuine and calming that Cody instinctually wanted to trust him. To rely on him.

But he couldn't.

Kenobi wasn't his general.

He would never have a general. They had defied the will of the Jedi. They had defied their conditioning. Thy had defied everything.

And they were all the better for it.

However, that didn't mean that Cody couldn't help the injured, panicked man in front of him.

His husband. His prisoner.

"Come on," he mumbled, leading the way to the fresher and sitting Kenobi down on the toilet seat.

"You'd be able to reach it easier if I stood," Kenobi protested quietly even as Cody gently took his shoulders and steered him downwards. "I'm already shorter than you."

Cody didn't dignify him with a response, instead taking one of the smaller towels and wetting it with warm water from the hand tap, one of the few luxuries they'd afforded Kenobi. Sonic freshers and hand washers were most common throughout the galaxy, where more often than not, water was something to be conserved. However, Vodera had no shortage of water and the ;ong necks had developed a very effective filtration system, so all the leaning facilities used it.

He gently tilted Kenobi's chin upward, his heartbeat racing inexplicably.

He knew he wasn't in danger. Kenobi was doing nothing to be threatening, sitting impassively, eyes red-rimmed as his shoulders hunched forward slightly.

Cody pressed the cloth to Kenobi's face and the man's eyes fluttered closed as he leant slightly into the touch. Cody held his breath as he tried to gently wipe away the crumbly yet sticky substance which had dried into the man's beard.

After about ten minutes, Kenobi let out a small hum but cut himself off quickly.

Red started to crept up his neck as his eyes snapped open.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's alright," Cody replied immediately before he moved his hand a little too fast.

He winced sympathetically as he felt the mask catch beneath the towel and pull at the sensitive hairs beneath it. Kenobi flinched back slightly, jerking out of Cody's grip.

"Sorry," Cody murmured.

Kenobi smirked slightly. "It's alright."

The man rolled his neck forward, curling his chin into his chest and Cody felt something in his gut twist. He hadn't meant to hurt Kenobi more.

When Kenobi looked back up from stretching his neck, Cody crouched down to finish washing out the last little bits of the mask instead of making the Jedi put his neck in the uncomfortable position again.

As the last few bits of minty green were wiped away, Cody cupped the back of Kenobi's neck with his free hand, rubbing it gently as he tried to massage a bit of the stiffness out of it.

Kenobi responded immediately, though not at all in the way that Cody had wanted. The Jedi bowed his head, clenching his eyes shut. It was only Cody's crouching position that let him see the few tears that slipped from his eyes.

Panic seized Cody's heart. This wasn't what he'd thought would happen. If he was honest, he hadn't really been thinking. He'd just wanted to make things better.

Cody sucked in a sharp breath and Kenobi stilled.

"I'm sorry," the man croaked. "I don't know why… It's all just _so much_."

Quickly, Cody withdrew his hand and Kenobi opened his eyes. Cody looked into their teary depths and was struck by the depth of their grey-blue shade. They reminded him of the skies of Kamino just after a storm, when the clouds were still lingering but the worst of the thunder and rain was over. They looked like peace.

Cody didn't know what to do.

The man in front of him was drowning, and it was alarming that he hadn't noticed until now.

He'd visited Kenobi nearly every day for over a month and the man had seemed normal. Or as normal as he assumed that Jedi were.

"It's going to be okay," Cody said, not reaching out again even though he desperately wanted to comfort the man in front of him.

Cody was by no means the most tactile of his brothers, but every vod had the instinct to comfort sowed into them. It was something that they'd fostered in the sterile darkness of their sleeping pods, late at night when the long necks were no longer looking at them.

It had been dangerous. Beyond dangerous.

Their compassion was the thing that the Kaminoans had tried to stamp out of them.

Keeping it, allowing it, nurturing it, had been the ultimate act of rebellion and, in his darker hours, Cody wondered if he had enough of it to truly lead the Vode. He wanted their lives to be different than they had begun. He didn't want his future brothers to live with the ever present fear that had dominated his own early years.

But Cody had always had trouble relating to others on that deep personal level. He could look at logistics and construct plans and make decisions, but he faltered when he tried to comfort others, when he tried to reach out to them.

Rex had that skill in spades. Had managed to hold onto it when Cody had let it go. One of the many reasons that Cody had demanded that he be Cody's second in command.

But that couldn't help him now, when Rex wasn't here and there was someone that needed his help.

"You need to eat," Cody found himself saying even as he internally kicked his useless tongue for being unable to find the right words, for failing to relate to the hurting man in front of him.

His words were true, though. Kenobi's ribs were slightly too prominent and the lines of his shoulder blades we just a little too sharp. Kix hadn't said anything to him, so he assumed that the situation wasn't dire, but Kenobi still needed to eat more.

Kenobi blew out a shaky breath and stood up, and Cody resisted the urge to hover as they both headed out to the main room. He was absently glad that the kitchen volunteers had put the pot of tea and the plate on warmers tonight, so the seafood and rice dish hadn't gone cold, though he knew it would be a little gluggy from sitting too long.

Something made Cody decide to stay as Kenobi ate, and he pulled out the chair opposite him. The Jedi's eyes cleared slightly when they saw the pot sitting on the table.

His eyes flicked to Cody and he smiled genuinely.

"Thank you," he said, his voice so raw and genuine that it made the back of Cody's throat heavy.

All he could manage was a small nod to signify that he'd heard.

Kenobi immediately went for the tea, pouring it to the brim of his and taking a long sip. The man sighed as he swallowed, taking another few drinks before he finally turned to the food.

He only got a few bites in before they were interrupted by the ringing of the holocomm that rested on the table in between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to make one thing clear, Cody's view of himself is HIS view. It's one of the few things that he's an unreliable narrator for. 
> 
> I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with being reserved or awkward. In fact, I relate to many of his issues (this chapters is maybe a tiny bit of projecting on my part and I'm self-aware enough to realise that).
> 
> Also, I don't know much about dealing with panic attacks, so I apologise if anything I've written was unhelpful or incorrect. Feel free to call it out in the comments. 
> 
> Again, thank you for all your support and lovely comments. I read every single one of them.


	13. It Turns Out A Lot Gets Done When you Talk it Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Considerably less angst than the last few chapters.
> 
> We had to get back to plot at some point.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened when he recognised Anakin's comm code.

He glanced up at King Cody who inclined his head forward. "Answer it."

Obi-Wan lunged, desperately pressing the answer button before the call could time out.

His padawan's - his former padawan's - upper body was projected onto the table in front of him and Obi-Wan tempered down on the reflexive grin he wanted to give at the sight.

"Anakin," he said, in a tone he was very practiced at.

"Don't start that with me Obi-Wan. This is important."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrow and Anakin scowled at him.

"Alright, let's not start something," a familiar voice snapped, and the hologram blurred for a few seconds before an orange-skinned female came into view beside Anakin.

"Bant!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, unable to contain his elation.

"Obi, it's good to see you," the healer said warmly.

"What's so important that you needed to call me?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Oh, so you believe her, but you wouldn't believe me?"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him. "It is - or at least it was - my job to question everything you do and ensure that you were acting correctly. Old habits die hard."

Anakin frowned. "You're still my Master, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan's stomach sunk and he glanced down. "Master Plo is teaching you now, Anakin. He will complete your training."

"That doesn't mean you're not my master."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Master Plo is your master."

"There's nothing in the rules that says I can't have two masters."

"Anakin."

"He's right, Obi," Bant butted, smiling widely. "He even asked the Council."

Obi-Wan let out a surprised bark of laughter. "Anakin, you didn't."

Anakin smirked. "Master Plo said I could."

Obi-Wan shook his head, feeling his chest warm. He couldn't believe that he still had the privilege of being Anakin's master, even after everything. Abruptly, he felt tears in his eyes and swallowed them back.

"You said something was important?" he asked before he could embarrass himself.

Bant and Anakin glanced at each other.

"Well?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You should get a guard or something, Obi," Bant said. "It's a long story. I'm sure they'll here news of it soon but I really do need to talk to someone on Vodera with a bit of power. It's vital information and the Council agreed that official channels would take too long."

King Cody stood up and strode around the table, dragging his chair with him.

"You're in luck," King Cody said as he sat down. His voice had a hard edge that hadn't been there when he'd been talking to Obi-Wan. "I'm King Cody."

Bant blinked and Anakin's eyes widened before they narrowed.

"Obi-Wan, why is the King in your room while you're naked?"

There was half a second where Obi-Wan almost made a suggestive comment about King Cody being his husband and honey moon phases, but he stopped himself. It would certainly not be helpful in this situation.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked again, his voice almost a growl when Obi-Wan took too long to answer.

He glanced at the king, who had jerked back at Anakin's accusatory question. Then he looked to the hologram. Bant hadn't reacted in any obvious way, but her eyes held a shine of horrified realisation whilst Anakin was practically snarling.

"It's not what you're suggesting, Anakin, I assure you. I'm wearing pants," he said quickly. "I've… scratched my back and the healers ordered me to not wear a shirt in cast I jostle the bacta."

"How did you scratch your back?"

Obi-Wan held back a wince.

"It's a long story. You said your information was so time sensitive."

"Not so time sensitive that I can't hear how you got hurt badly enough to need bacta on your back overnight," Anakin snapped.

"Bant," Obi-Wan pleaded.

The Mon Calamari pursed her lips but nodded.

"Ours is also a long story. A lot has happened over the past day."

Obi-Wan glanced at King Cody, who had resumed his usual reserved, stern expression.

"I'll reserve my comments for the end," the king said and Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.

Bant took a deep breath, putting a calming hand on Anakin's shoulder when the padawan scowled.

"It all started when the delegation from Vodera landed on Coruscant this morning," she began. "A sniper targeted the platform and took out three guards before Senator Bly and Senator Amidala managed to get everyone behind cover. It's unclear as of yet who was the target, but all of the senators have been assigned extra guards, including a Jedi escort."

"Who was assigned to Senator Amidala?" Obi-Wan asked, smiling slyly.

Anakin ducked his head, a pink blush blooming behind his cheeks. "Master Plo asked to be guard her. He said they should have a Councillor in the Senate."

Obi-Wan smirked. "Indeed."

"This is beside the point," Bant said, shooting a small glare at Obi-Wan. "Knight Secura was assigned to guard Senator Bly whilst some of our best investigators are working with judicial to find the culprit, and, ideally, the person who actually ordered the hit."

"How annoyed was Quinlan to be pulled off his assignment?"

That had Bant's lips twitching. "He actually came back a week ago. But he complained to me very loudly at dinner at having to be stuck combing the underbellies of Coruscant and wasting his time."

"Did he find anything?"

"At the Sith Temple? No, no one's been there for centuries. On Coruscant? Also no. But he's blocked out the next few days to try and find the killer. Knight Regalia and Master Larn are also on the case and will keep with it for the next few weeks if they don’t find anything."

Obi-Wan nodded approvingly, recognising the names of two of the other more prominent psychometry users within the order. It was a rare skill that was extremely difficult to learn if you don't have the natural skill for it, and none in the Order were quite as good at using it for tracking and investigating as Quinlan was.

"The good news is that the Senate had finally granted us access to Palpatine's personal items and offices whilst Naboo has also approved an investigatory delegation."

"Maybe we can finally get some answers."

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Anakin scowled. "Every lead we've found so far has led to a dead end."

Obi-Wan hummed. "Yes, well I assume that Palpatine would have safe guards for himself given how extensive his machinations were."

"We need to catch him," Anakin said firmly.

"That we do, padawan," Obi-Wan confirmed. "But to do that, we need to find him, something that is proving rather more difficult that we would like."

Anakin huffed but nodded.

"Thank you for the update," Obi-Wan said slowly with a small frown. "But I fail to see how any of this is so urgent that they couldn't wait for the call and the report that Senator Bly is no doubt going to submit shortly."

"I don't know if he'll be able to find the privacy to do either of those things. Their still sweeping his rooms and the entire Rotunda for explosive devices in the wake of the assassination attempt. They already found one in the bathrooms. He refused our offer of calling from the temple."

"That's not why we called you anyway," Anakin explained quickly. "We just needed to give you guys context for the situation."

"Senator Bly and Knight Secura were talking whilst he went to lunch," Bant went on. "He mentioned an accelerated aging process and that you don’t know how to stop it."

Obi-Wan glanced quickly at King Cody, who was frowning.

"We haven't been able to find a solution yet," he admitted after a few seconds' pause.

"That's just it," Bant said. "I think I can. I've been studying alternated genetics over the past few years. My work may have revolved around fixing potential side effects of instable cores or long exposure to toxic chemicals but I should be able to apply it to your situation as well."

King Cody had gone completely still beside Obi-Wan. "You can?"

Bant nodded. "Vokara and I were talking and we think the two most likely possibilities for your accelerated aging. Either it comes down to altered physiological processes or altered genetics. We have experts in both fields in the Order and we would be happy to lend our help should you want it."

"You'd do that?"

Bant shrugged. "Of course. We may spend much of our time patching up our fellow Jedi after their missions, but the Healers of the Jedi Order also like to research and develop cures for wide-sweeping issues as well."

"Why would you help us?"

Anakin rolled his eyes at the question, as if he agreed with the King and Obi-Wan frowned.

"The Jedi's duty is to help Republic citizens. The Vode are all Republic citizens. Besides, we always at least try to help those in need. It's our duty as Jedi."

King Cody swallowed. "I will need to talk to my court but I'm sure they will all agree. How can we contact you?"

Bant smiled. "Obi has my comm code. We can set up a datapad to exchange information on."

The King nodded.

"Was there anything else?" Obi-Wan asked, his chest feeling somehow both heavier and lighter after the last conversation. The fact he had just been told was distressing to say the least, but he enjoyed talking to his friends and knowing that the Order could help.

Before Bant or Anakin could answer that question, Kind Cody shifted.

"Actually, my court was just putting together a request for an information regarding maintaining the health of Force Sensitive individuals."

Obi-Wan snapped his head towards his husband. What the kriff?

"Pardon?" he asked.

"We want to ensure that we are doing what is needed to keep you healthy and are supplying you with everything you need," Cody informed him.

"You could have asked me." Obi-Wan couldn't really explain the hurt that twisted his heart at not being consulted about this.

"Our head medics would feel more comfortable with the information coming from an official source," Cody said.

Obi-Wan wanted to argue the point, but remembered just who he was talking to.

He closed his mouth from where he was about to make an outraged retort and inclined his head respectfully. "Of course, King Cody."

"You look tired, Obi," Bant observed, her hologram becoming bigger as she obviously leaned towards the comm in an effort to get a better look at him.

"I'm a hologram," Obi-Wan said flatly. Bant was always worrying about some aspect of his health. He didn't want to deal with this right now. All he wanted to do was rest, and to stop the weird writhing, almost itching feeling that had settled under his skin after Cody had touched him.

"And I can still see that you need to lie down."

Obi-Wan valiantly fought back an eye roll. It would set a bad example for Anakin.

"Bant," he grit out, trying not to growl.

"Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan scowled and Bant softened.

"How have you been sleeping, Obi?"

Obi-Wan hesitated before he answered. "It has been more troubled of late."

He took a breath and then admitted, "Meditation isn't as calming as it usually is."

"Oh Obi," Bant murmured and Obi-Wan gave her a small smile.

Suddenly, Bant was glancing down.

"Master Che is calling for me," she informed them as she stood up. "It was good seeing you, Obi. We all miss you."

"Goodbye Bant."

Anakin stared at them for a few moments after the healer left, eyes darting between King Cody and Obi-Wan.

"I should go now as well," he finally decided. "We have to be at Senator Amidala's apartments early tomorrow morning."

Obi-Wan nodded, but before Anakin could reach out, Obi-Wan caught him in his gaze.

"Thank you Anakin," he murmured wishing he could touch his padawan.

"You will always be my master, Obi-Wan," Anakin said seriously, looking him deep in the eye. "You taught me so many things and I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you."

"You already had all the tools," Obi-Wan insisted.

"And I would have been lost on how to properly use them without you," Anakin fired back.

Obi-Wan's lips quirked. "When did you get so good at word play?"

Anakin smirked. "When I started having tea with Yoda regularly. He speaks only in metaphors."

Obi-Wan huffed a laugh. Didn't he know it.

He still remembered trying to keep up with his great grandmaster in a conversation whilst also not reacting to the truly strange things he would serve up during 'lineage family dinners' - dinners that Dooku never came to. Those dinners had become less frequent after Qui-Gon died and were an almost solemn affair with very few words actually being spoken.

"Goodbye Anakin," he said and Anakin smiled at Obi-Wan with the same brightness he did when he showed Obi-Wan the droid he had been working on.

"Goodbye, Master. Get some sleep, and maybe try and eat a little more."

Obi-Wan and King Cody sat in silence for a few moments before King Cody pushed back from the table quickly. It was lucky for Obi-Wan that he was in a carpetted room or the screeching that surely would have occurred with the chair being scraped across the ground so quickly.

"I should tell the Court."

Obi-Wan nodded and stood up, wincing as he did. King Cody frowned over at him, shifting towards him.

"What's wrong?" the man asked and Obi-Wan smiled up at him, attempting reassuring.

"I'm just remembering why I stopped using that meditation pose. Four hours kneeling like that were not good for my knees. The price of getting old, I'm afraid."

Unable to muster the energy to stop himself, Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around his ribs, providing himself some release from the restlessness beneath his skin.

The king stepped forward, his brows furrowed. "May I touch you."

Obi-Wan could have cried but his voice was barely above a whisper as he answered, "Yes."

The king began stroking Obi-Wan's arms and Obi-Wan found himself leaning into the touch. Force, it felt so good.

"You know, " the King murmured after about a minute of silence. "The Vode make allowances for panic attacks. We don't blame people for their fear. I don't think your friend or your student would want you to be so hard on yourself when you're obviously struggling."

Obi-Wan could feel how genuine he was. How the king believed every word he said.

Before he could answer, though, the King was marching out of the room, leaving Obi-Wan to trace the area that the King had been touching his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to be getting into more plot relevant stuff now, but I will keep up the angst and the hurt/comfort.
> 
> Sorry this took so long, I've been doing some of the stories I want to release on codywan week.


	14. A Conversation That Really Should have Happened Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody and Obi-Wan finally talk. 
> 
> Otherwise known as, another pro-jedi rant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I had heaps of work. And I've had a generally stressful few weeks.

Cody sat across from Kenobi. They were both cross-legged on the grass in one of the gardens with lots of ponds as the kittens jumped between small stone pillars dotted throughout the water.

It was a few days after the whole Jango situation, and Kenobi was once again wearing his Jedi robes. It was for the best. It made it easier to ignore the residual awkwardness Cody still felt after their last interaction.

He swallowed heavily, trying to settle the churning in his gut by sheer force of will.

He needed to do this.

No matter how much he really, really didn't want to.

Kenobi deserved this. Especially since he agreed to be dragged to a dozen different planets and essentially act as a mediator for them to add legitimacy to all the negotiations that were about to go underway.

Initially, Cody wasn't going to ask that of him, but Fox had pointed out that not only would he be a huge asset, but that not bringing him would undermine the image that they'd created amongst the senators who'd visited them. If Kenobi didn't come with them it would imply that there had been some sought of falling out, that the (apparent) trust between them had been shaken; it would make them look weak, vulnerable. And Vodera could not afford that.

As the youngest planet in the Republic, they needed allies, especially in the political climate the glaaxy was in now, with thousands of planets that had succeeded from the Republic and then had their leadership crippled now floundering and looking to either regain their places in the Republic or reaffirm their position outside it. Though, the complete annihilation of the Separatist Army and the destruction of the Republic one should ensure that galactic war breaks out, at least for some time.

Still, as the members of one of those former armies, the Vode were uniquely vulnerable. They needed these negotiations to go well. They must not be labelled as a threat and the needed to not be vulnerable to outside attacks. And, for that, they needed allies, preferably closer to them than four Core planets days' worth of hyperspace away from them.

But, if Kenobi was going to go with them, they would have to present a united front. To do that, they would need to appear at least be comfortable with each other. They would not have familiar surroundings to fall back on like they had had with the other senators.

It would probably require them to act closer than they had been, excluding their last interaction. That's why Cody was here, sitting across from his husband. They needed to have a conversation. They barely knew each other and there was very little foundation of trust between them, just tense awkwardness.

At the very least they needed to lay down some ground boundaries.

Kenobi would need that.

The call that Kenobi had received from the two Jedi had opened Cody's eyes to just how vulnerable a position the man was in.

He'd been horrified at the implication that he might do that to Kenobi, but when he'd had time to think about it, he couldn't bring himself to be insulted by the accusation. That and worse had been done to Jedi in this very situation in the past. Kenobi had no power.

He couldn't really say no to anything, not without jeopardising his people on Coruscant.

This arrangement wasn't going to work in the long run. Not if Cody wanted to pull the next few weeks off, and not if Cody wanted to be able to look himself in the mirror every morning. Cody had no doubt that Kenobi would be able to act just as the Vode needed him to for the next few weeks and keep up the perfect image for the other planets, but Cody knew that he wouldn't be able to hold his head up if he stood next to this many who he had complete power over. This man, who, as Ponds had oh so helpfully pointed out, Cody would probably have to sleep next to when they were on planet.

They would not request accommodations together, but the Court had decided that it would also be best not to request different rooms if Kenobi and Cody were organised together.

He tried to think of what to say, refocusing on the shielding techniques that had been mentioned in the data pack that had been sent through about Force Sensitive Health.

"I'm not going to try anything," Cody blurted out.

Kenobi, who had been staring at the grass in front of him as he ran his palm over it, snapped his gaze up.

"I did not fear that you would," he assured Cody, his voice pleasant and calming like it always was.

It made Cody want to melt.

"Good," Cody replied, his voice strained.

He blew out a sigh. "We need to establish what you're comfortable with."

Kenobi straightened. "I will be fine with anything."

Cody shook his head. "Please. Just be honest with me. I know… I know that you think you have to agree with everything but I'm telling you that you don't have to. Especially not with this. We're going to have to act… familiar with each other. I need to know your limits. I'll even sleep on the floor if you want."

Kenobi frowned and didn't answer for a few seconds.

"As a Jedi," he said eventually, his voice measured. "I have been placed in all manner of situations for missions. I do not mind pretending to be closer than we are, and I do not mind sleeping in the same bed as you. Though, if you would not like to when we are assigned the same rooms, I, of course, am willing to sleep on the floor."

Cody closed his eyes, his stomach twisting and causing him to feel vaguely nauseous.

"Are you saying that because it's true or because you know it's the right thing to say?"

Kenobi dropped his eyes back to the grass.

Cody sighed. "Kenobi."

The Jedi tensed and Cody held back his flinch.

"We have to do this," Cody said firmly, not knowing if he was trying to apologise, or give an explanation for what they were doing to the man, or even reassure himself. "But, I - I can't pretend that we're… partners, even in state, if we continue this dynamic. It - It's too much."

Kenobi lifted his eyes, frowning. "You did the right think for your people, Kind Cody. And this is also the right thing for them. But, I can't change the reality of our situation."

"But I can," Cody replied.

He took a deep breath, trying to order his cluttered thoughts.

His worldview had been slowly shifting over these last few meetings. Each time he talked to Kenobi, he was left questioning what he'd thought. Something in his very core was being chipped away it, the ball of anger and rage and resentment that surrounded those he identified as enemies was being shifted.

And it had changed even more over the past few days.

He had been there for all of the preliminary discussions between Medical and the Jedi Healers, with the Jedi readily offering up information for them, giving them access to their extensive public files, and not just the medical ones.

Fox, of course, had taken a team to it with a fine toothed comb, ready to unearth the truth of the Order that had commissioned their existence. However, everything they found seemed to contradict what they thought they knew of the order. The Jedi were not the cold, detached Senate watchdogs that some viewed them as, nor were they the all-powerful sorcerers that manipulated the galaxy around them. They were limited by the Senate, yes, but they had many outreach programs that did not come under Senate approval, and they were certainly formidable opponents in any situation, whether that be in diplomatic appeals or battlefields, but they were still only individuals. Through their order, they gained influence, and their strange abilities gave them power, but other than that, they were just a people. A conglomerate of different species that practised a unique way of life.

Cody had barely slept as he troughed through the stacks of information, tearing through Fox's summaries whilst also tackling his own research.

So far, the Jedi's story had been corroborated by their files, not that they really expected to find anything incriminating. But, they're story was… plausible. Half the missions that Dooku had gone on when he was still learning had been with Sifo-Diyas' teacher. The Jedi who had commissioned them had disappeared on a mission, after his violent ideas had been disapproved of by many within the Order.

None of the reports had said it in so many words, but the summaries of the Council meetings had conveyed a heavy disgust of answering a possible war with an army.

It made sense that the Jedi would reach out to Dooku in his desperate hour. Dooku, who had, in fact, left the order over two years before he had started overseeing the clones. Who had not had formal contact with the Order a decade outside of meeting with friends.

It wasn't adding up.

"That law," Cody said, working hard to make sure his voice didn't shake. "It's not fair. The Jedi don't deserve it. You didn't deserve it."

Kenobi jerked, his eyes widening.

He visibly swallowed. Blinked.

"I-," He looked down, and took a deep breath. "No. It isn't."

They both stayed like that for a few seconds, Cody staring at the Jedi, until Kenobi lifted his head. His eyes were shining and he had a small, sad smile on his face.

"There's a reason the Senate doesn't approve the law very often," the man murmured. "They only ever really use it when they need to show us our place."

Cody's expression tightened and he wanted to reach out to the man in front of him. However, he restrained himself. He couldn't be distracted for this conversation.

He would offer Kenobi comfort after. He knew that Force Sensitives that didn't have other Force Sensitives around them needed tactile reassurance, especially those coming out of the Jedi Temple. There had been a complicated explanation in the datapack that had mostly gone over Cody's head, but he had understood at least that.

"I know that, legally, I can't change anything," he began. "but I want you to know that you can say no to things, and it will be respected."

Kenobi frowned and Cody clenched his fists. This was important.

Cody knew what it was like to not be able to say no.

He didn't want to become like the Kaminoans. He never wanted to be like them.

"You can say no."

Kenobi stared at it him, his breathing speeding up slightly. He stayed silent.

Cody broke after less than a minute.

"Please say something."

"I don't know what I could say no to," Kenobi murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Cody pursed his lips. They needed to fix that. Right away. Kenobi didn't deserve to a prisoner. He deserved to be treated fairly.

"Can I touch you?"

Kenobi furrowed his eyebrows. "I know what you're doing, but… I really want you to touch me. Please."

Cody frowned. He didn't think that Kenobi would actually want contact. There was certainly not enough trust between them. Cody literally hadn't done anything to prove himself trustworthy.

"I feel… wrong. Kind of itchy… and I know why. I'd rather not be distracted by this feeling anymore."

Cody blinked. "Okay. Where do you… want me to touch you?"

Kenobi closed his eyes and frowned. "On the shoulder please… yes I like it when people do that."

Cody slowly shuffled over and tentatively laid his hand on Kenobi's shoulder, causing Kenobi to let out a shaky sigh.

"Is this… okay?" Cody asked.

As Kenobi let out a shaky breath, Cody was struck by just how similar this was to how he interacted with Rex. Rex could be very particular about touch, especially when it came to sexual touching, as he more often than not just didn't feel like it. Sometimes, he didn't want Cody to touch him at all, and Cody had gotten used to always asking before he came into contact with Rex, especially when they were alone.

He was surprised to find that he wasn't bothered by the similarity.

Kenobi nodded, leaning into Cody slightly. "Yeah… yes, this is much better."

"So, you're fine with going on the journey?" Cody asked, for lack of something else to discuss.

Kenobi nodded, smiling slightly. "Will you be? You seemed uncertain of it earlier."

Cody shrugged. "I'm not the best actor."

Kenobi's smile widened. "Really?"

Cody rolled his eyes. Kenobi had spent quite a while working with Cody about how to act around the senators. He knew very well just how limited Cody's skills in that department were. He could act respectful. He could say the right words. But he pulled stoic and stern off far easier than any sort of pleasantness, unlike Rex and Kenobi.

"I think it would help if we talked a little more," Cody admitted. "I barely know you… which is entirely my fault."

Kenobi smiled. "The situation has been rather… unusual."

Cody held back a snort. The man was ever the diplomat.

"Why don't we exchange questions?" he suggested.

Kenobi nodded. "That sounds fair."

"Would you like to go first?"

"I think I need a moment to think."

Cody grinned. "Alright then… What's your favourite food?"

Kenobi blinked and Cody's smile widened.

"I quite enjoy fruits… and sweets," Kenobi admitted. "And spicy curries."

Cody's eyebrows quirked up. There was a story there.

"Are you going to bring anyone else to Vodera, that aren't Vode?"

It was Cody's turn to be surprised. Kenobi wasn't pulling any punches.

"We plan to let vod travel as they're allowed," he informed the man. "If they meet people and bring them back, then we won't stop them. But, for the most part, vode tend to partner up between each other. The only ones who are really off limits are batchmates, but the older ones don't really need to worry about that since most batches only had one or two make it through training. When we figure out the aging process, we're going to continue decanting if a vod wants a child."

Kenobi nodded along, his eyes widening at the amount of information Cody revealed in the answer. But, even though Kenobi was still a Jedi, he was also one of them. He would be treated as such on the diplomatic journey.

"Are you so good with animals because you're a Jedi? Or is it just a you thing?"

Kenobi glanced down, his lips twitching. "It is a Force technique, but I've always been rather adept at it."

They continued on in a natural rhythm after that, with Cody making sure to keep his questions light, and not reacting to any of the more serious questions that Kenobi threw at him.

Eventually, Waxer entered the garden, rubbing the back of his helmet nervously.

"I'm sorry, Cody, but you said that rex would kill you if you didn't get to the meeting on time."

Cody resisted the urge to slump his shoulders. He had been enjoying himself.

He turned to Kenobi. "Well, I think it's a good start. We might just pull it off. What do you think?"

Kenobi scrunched his lips up, as if contemplating.

"I don't know…," he said with a small smirk. "I think you should be able to address me by my first name."

Cody paused. He hadn't considered that.

"Too true… Obi-Wan," he admitted after what he hoped wasn't too long a pause. "But that means you should address me as Cody. There's no need for the title."

Kenobi - no, Obi-Wan - frowned. "Very well… Cody."

Cody grinned, slowly removing his hand from the other's shoulder for the first time in their over an hour long conversation. "Are you alright to get back to the rooms?"

He didn't miss the way Kenobi curled into himself slightly. "I should be."

"Is there anything you need?"

Kenobi frowned. "I would like some tea… and perhaps a book please?"

Cody nodded quickly, the bottom of his stomach dropping out. How the hell had the man not gone made, shut in the apartment with literally nothing to do?

"Of course," he was going to leave it there, but Kenobi's posture still wasn't right, and his hands had disappeared inside the sleaves of his robe. "Is there anything else?"

Obi-Wan ducked his head. "It's not… I don't."

Finally, he sighed. "Please don't feel pushed to acquiesce, but… could I have a hug?"

"Pardon?"

Obi-Wan hunched further. "It's better… but I still…"

He broke off turning away slightly, but Cody stepped towards him.

"Of course I can give you a hug."

Obi-Wan stilled, before he leant towards Cody as the man enveloped him. His body was as tense as stretched rubber at first, but after about ten seconds, it slowly started to relax. Cody let the Jedi tuck his nose in the crook of Cody's neck as he let his chin on the russet hair.

Cody held the hug for a long time, slowly rubbing Obi-Wan's back. When he finally let go, Obi-Wan kept his head bowed, sniffling slightly.

"Better?" Cody asked and Obi-Wan nodded still not properly lifting his head.

"Thank you," the man whispered.

"Any time," Cody said. And he meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like it? I know it's been a while. I'm sorry.


	15. Popular Fanfic Tropes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes tropes TROPES

Obi-Wan shifted his cloak around him in his room on the Endeavour. He'd never considered himself vain, but he'd always liked to be neat, and he'd spent the last hour making sure that not a hair on his head was out of place. He was too restless to meditate, even though it had gotten easier over the last few weeks.

This was the first time he was having trouble settling his mind in weeks. However, he thought, given the circumstances, he could be forgiven.

Eventually, he ripped himself away from the mirror, lurching out of the small fresher and sitting himself at the desk, pulling out the datapad that Cody had given him the day after their conversation.

The Conversation.

Obi-Wan's life had changed much after it. He was no longer confined to his quarters, though he did have guards on him at all times. He could talk to them about requesting food, though he only requested tea if he was feeling particularly anxious. However, the datapad was perhaps the change he was most grateful for. It had full access to the holonet and could access all of Obi-Wan's accounts, even the one he had to the remote-access portions of the Jedi archives. That, and the touches that Cody, and Kix had given him ad really helped. Even Rex and Waxer and Boil, who had taken to guarding him more often than not, had started giving him casual touches, brushing up against him. Usually, the Jedi did not have such tactile interactions, but without a Fellow Force-sensitive to interact with, the next best things was physical interaction from Force nulls. Well, not the next best thing, but it would take a while yet for the Vode to learn how to project enough for it to have the same effect as Obi-Wan interacting psychically through the Force with someone.

He was grateful for the shoulder-touches and arm brushes, as well as the fact that Kix had visited him every few days to check his healing injury and even after it had healed made sure to stop in to ensure that he had enough supply of the scar tissue cream that was now a permanent fixture in his fresher.

He'd sorely needed the grounding points.

The access to the datapad had also done wonders for the nauseating anxiety that had crept up on him, knowing what was happening in the galaxy, and being able to monitor his family on Coruscant, even if it was only through calls and news articles, was a greater relief than he thought it would be.

Now, though, he was having trouble focusing on the information in front of him.

When Obi-Wan had left on that ship, what felt like a lifetime ago, he'd never thought he'd be leaving Vodera ever again.

And now he would be visiting over a dozen different planets.

It was more than he'd ever hoped for.

He was immeasurably relieved and elated at the prospect of doing what he was good at; what he truly enjoyed. Relief missions may have been his favourite, but diplomatic missions were always a close second for him. He might not like or trust most politicians, but he couldn't deny the satisfaction of the wordplay, and the verbal puzzles. Obi-Wan was made for dealing with them, and he loved winning against them.

Not that he took satisfaction from tricking someone with ill intentions into doing the right thing. No, he would never take joy in such blatant lying and deception. It was unbecoming of a Jedi.

Kit, Depa and Adi had always had trouble keeping straight faces whenever he gave mission reports of those sort. Mace loved hearing him recount those instances in the few times that the master had taken him out to drink with a few of the other more field-orientated knights and masters.

"What are you smiling at?" the voice didn't cause Obi-Wan to recoil like it would have a short while ago, though it did surprise him and Obi-Wan gave a little jerk as he glanced up at Cody, who was standing in the doorway of his room.

He suppressed a frown. The Force had gradually stopped warning him when most vode approached. He needed to be paying attention to feel them coming towards him now, and they could surprise him. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or comforted.

"Just old memories, my king," Obi-Wan replied and Cody pursed his lips slightly.

Obi-Wan allowed his smile to widen. "I'm sorry, Cody, but we are going to have to use formalities during negotiations."

"No," Cody said with a shake of his head. "It's alright. I understand, Master Kenobi."

They both shared small smiles before Cody glanced down, shifting between his feet. Obi-Wan felt his lips pulling down at the edges as he sensed the mess of confused emotions hanging around the king like a storm cloud.

He stood, walking slowly towards Cody.

"Something is troubling you," he observed, a small part of himself loosening, just like it did every time he could say something potentially loaded and not feel a thrill of fear.

Cody sighed, and that did put Obi-Wan on edge. He felt icy worry trickle down the back of his neck and he instinctively wanted to disengage. However, he swallowed down his fear and ignored his hammering heart.

Cody hadn’t lied. He had made a concerted effort to change. He'd done what he could to make Obi-Wan not feel like the prisoner he was. The man had forced himself to relax and open up in Obi-Wan's company, and never reacted to anything that Obi-Wan said aggressively, even if Obi-Wan had accidentally stirred his anger.

Obi-Wan waited for Cody to fund the right words, the king pursing his lips slightly as he thought.

Finally, Cody sucked in a breath and pulled something out of a pouch on his belt. He wasn't wearing his armour or his blacks, as was usual for on Vodera, but rather a more embellished version of the formal grey uniforms that some of the vode also wore.

Obi-Wan approved of it. They had made it out of the some of the material that they'd achieved from the trade so it looked finer and more delicate. However, it was not too ornamental. Vodera wasn't Naboo. Its leaders did not need to look like fine pieces of artwork. But, the adornments softened the look so he didn't look like a soldier, an association he knew that the Vode were trying to distance themselves from.

His thoughts screeched to a halt when he saw what was in Cody's hand, his senses in the Force connecting to it a moment later and confirming that it was the real thing.

Obi-Wan froze, staring down at the lightsaber in Cody's hands. His lightsaber. The crystal was singing out for him, high and clear and desperate. It rattled around his head and routed Obi-Wan to the spot.

When Cody began speaking, it took him a few moments to process the words, needing to concentrate past the cry ringing through his head.

"You said that we cannot be certain of our safety whilst on planet, that we may be caught up in political attacks whether that be as a result of us or the planet's social climate," he was rambling.

Obi-Wan managed to tear his eyes away from his saber, long enough to fix lock gazes with the king.

"I don't think it's likely that we'll get targeted," he murmured. "Many idealists and… disquieted groups will be focused on the reforging of the Republic, since the Separatists and the Republic are trying to mend the fracture in the government. However, you can never know what's going to happen at diplomatic talks. They tend to become targets for and political unrest a system is experiencing. I just wanted to sure that you were prepared for any scenario."

Cody shifted slightly, and Obi-Wan's eyes immediately fell back to his saber, forcibly locking his muscles so he didn't snatch it from Cody's grip.

"Regardless," Cody said. "We have decided to present a united front, and we could hardly do that whilst confiscating your one weapon. It would be rather strange for a Jedi to carry out their duties without a lightsaber."

He offered the saber up, moving it towards Obi-Wan and opening his hand.

Obi-Wan hesitated, his gut clenching as he was suddenly certain that this was a trap. A test. As soon as he touched his lightsaber, Cody would snatch it away, taking it as proof that Obi-Wan wanted to fight them.

"Take it," Cody urged.

Obi-Wan tentatively reached out his hand, glancing up at Cody. This king was impassive, looking at him calmly.

A jolt of energy, not unlike a static shock, lurched up Obi-Wan's arm when he touched the saber. He felt the connection to his crystal fully re-establish. He sucked in a sharp breath, unable to stop himself from grabbing the saber and pulling it into his chest, clutching it tightly.

He breathed deeply, feeling his crystal resonate with him. His truest companion. His life.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan managed to get out, his voice airy with its gratefulness.

Cody coughed and then nodded. "Uh… you're welcome, Obi-Wan. We'll be touching down on Vandor in about ten minutes."

"Alright."

\------

The door of their rooms shut behind them.

Obi-Wan restrained a smile as Cody visibly sagged.

"You did very well," he complimented gently as Cody took off his jacket. "Everyone did."

Cody sighed. "That was exhausting… but we did make some headway."

Obi-Wan nodded. They had been invited to stay on the planet for three days, as it was uncommon for rulers and diplomatic parties to be hosted for very long when it was their first time visiting potential allies. This fact meant that their schedule over the next couple of months was fast-paced and exhausting, but wouldn't be as time consuming as the Court had feared it would be, especially since both Rex and Cody had gone on the trip. They could have left one or the other, but the duo were truly very effective and disarming when they worked together, their contrasting personalities helping to drive home the individuality of the Vode, as well as appealing to a wide range of people.

Cody undid his shirt but paused before he took it off, blushing.

"Ummm."

Obi-Wan glanced down. "Yes, this is rather awkward."

Especially since Cody had looked like he would have rather had Rex in the room with him. Really, Obi-Wan agreed. It would have been much more comfortable if he got the single room and Rex came and slept in here with Cody, as Obi-Wan had deduced that they usually shared a bed. However, the Court had decided that they wouldn't dispute or change rooming arrangements on any of the planets, as a sign of respect and a portrayal of the strong foundations within their diplomatic party, so Cody and Rex had to say goodbye in the hallway, rather reluctantly.

It wasn't that polyamorous couples were shunned, or even uncommon in the galaxy at large, though there were some planets that took issue with them, and Cody had explained to Obi-Wan that, from the Vode's perspective, they were all comrades in arms, with only batchmates (which were groups of up to ten but usually about four or five) viewing each other as true siblings in the sense that most of the galaxy defined it.

Obi-Wan didn't imagine it being an issue in the galaxy at large. There were colonies of species that reproduced both asexually and sexually amongst themselves, meaning that, biologically many of them would have the same cloned DNA. Generally, intergalactic attitudes were that if they hadn't hurt anyone, relationships should be left up to the discretion of a planet's culture and the participants preferences.

However, revealing the complexities of the their situation to potential rivals was a vulnerability that none of them wanted to deal with. No, it would be easier to not argue and to deal with any potential discomfort or longing quietly. Besides, Cody and Rex still roomed together on the ship, with Obi-Wan residing in one of the more upscaled single rooms.

"Why don't I get changed in the fresher?" he suggested lightly. "And I can take the floor if you are not comfortable with sleeping in the same bed. I must say that this carpet is rather soft."

Cody snorted. "Let's not be ridiculous, Obi-Wan. We're probably going to be situated together more often than not, and it doesn't make sense for one of us to sleep on the floor the entire time."

Obi-Wan gave a small snort at that as he gently got his sleepclothes out of his bag. "You're not wrong."

So, they found themselves uncomfortably sitting on opposite sides of the bend.

"We should just get this over with," Cody scowled. "It won't get any less awkward the longer we wait. We'll just be losing sleep by this point."

Obi-Wan nodded jerkily. "I concur. We need all the rest we can get if we're going to really dive into the minutiae of the agreement tomorrow. And they'll probably want to hold a feast similar to tonight's. Though perhaps not as… ostentations. They'll save all the showstoppers for our last day."

Cody wrinkled his nose even as he got underneath the covers. He was wearing an old pair of blacks, that hugged his figure tightly, leaving nothing to the imagination as it outlined his muscles and revealed just how fit he was. It was in direct contrast to Obi-Wan's own baggy ensemble, which was more cuddly and less flowy than his usual robes.

Obi-Wan was self-aware enough to acknowledge the heat that sparked within him at the sight of the attractive man so close. He wasn't used to sharing a bed with someone, especially someone as… alluring as Cody, without it having sexual undertones if that person wasn't Anakin.

Over the last few weeks he'd occasionally find himself distracted by his husband's physique, his desire gradually rearing his head as he began to feel more safe, and less like he could be punished, possibly painfully, if he accidentally made some social blunder. But, Obi-Wan was used to having to move past arousal. He wouldn't be a very good Jedi if he got side-tracked by every hot person that he came across, a fact that his master had quite enjoyed reminding Obi-Wan of in the later years of his padawanship, much to Obi-Wan's mortification.

"This is all very… large," Cody said in a very impressive show of diplomacy. It was choices like that that gave Obi-Wan the confidence that Vodera would be able to achieve a stable and beneficial standing within the galaxy.

Obi-Wan just shrugged. "Not every planet will be like this. But politicians, especially rich politicians, like to show off."

"Yes. I am coming to understand that," Cody grumbled. "I never wanted to play politics."

"To be honest, I think that's part of the reason why you're so good at it," Obi-Wan replied without thinking.

When Cody raised his eyebrow at him, Obi-Wan swallowed, but elaborated, "You were chosen when you had absolutely no desire for power. That's an extremely rare situation, and it's one that has laid a very solid foundation within Vodera, a stronger political landscape than many long established governments have. And it's largely because of your good leadership."

Cody looked away. "I don't know how you can say things like that to me."

It was Obi-Wan's turn to raise his eyebrow. "Because it's true."

"Maybe… but you haven't exactly experienced the best of Vodera's hospitality."

"It was merely a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding where you were stuck with all the negative impacts.

"One doesn't choose the path of a Jedi looking for recognition."

"I suppose not."

"For the record, I was expecting much worse."

Cody's pressed his lips together. "I know. That makes it worse."

"I'm sorry."

Cody shook his head and sighed. "Don't be. It's not your fault… Let's just go to sleep."

Obi-Wan did as Cody said and got under the covers himself, settling down underneath them and being careful to leave a generous amount of room between him and Cody.

Cody turned and switched the bedside light off, causing darkness to fill the room.

As Obi-Wan was nodding off, he heard Cody murmur, "Thank you… for what you said. It's… nice to hear that once in a while."

Obi-Wan felt his lips pulling up. "You deserve it."

"Goodnight, Obi-Wan."

"Goodnight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and tHERE WAS ONLY ONE BED!
> 
> I got back on the horse. What do you think they're going to have to deal with on their little trip?


	16. Bly Gets A Heart Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Note From the Author: Sorry this took so long
> 
> A little action.

Bly leant his elbows on his desk and massaged the bridge of his nose, trying desperately to swallow back his nausea. He'd managed to not throw up from the debilitating terror that had been flooding his system ever since the news that the Voderan transport carrying most of his planet's most prominent leaders (as well as some of Bly's closest vod) had gone missing.

The Jedi and Judicial had already dispatched a team to investigate the sight closest to where they'd disappeared from their route. However, they all knew that the trail would have practically gone cold by the time they got there.

Aayla was sitting on a chair only a few metres away, a constant, comforting presence, as he had come to appreciate over the past few weeks. At first, their relationship had been tense with Bly being instinctively distrustful of the Jedi, even as part of him, the part that was still the little cadet that had only lived to listen to the Long Necks, wanted to follow her every order. But Aayla had been professional and courteous the entire time, as had the multitude of other Jedi that had been practically crawling over the Rotunda in the weeks since Bly had been inducted into the Senate.

Other than his own personal guard, he had also interacted a lot with Master Plo, who had been an even more sturdy presence than Aayla, and Padawan Skywalker, both of whom had been placed on Padme's guard duty. He had learnt in their third brief interaction, when Padme had invited him to a lunch with a few other senators, that Padawan Skywalker had been Kenobi's padawan before he had been sent off to Vodera. He supposed it had explained the glares that the young man had sent at Bly and his clone guards. The kid was the only Jedi to have showed anything but a calm sort of respect to the Vode.

Eventually, Bly had allowed himself to slowly unwind around Aayla, and they had gotten onto a first name basis. It was hard not to when he spent pretty much every waking moment around her, and as she slowly helped him come to terms with the fact that the Jedi had truly not known about the Vode. It was difficult to accept that they had not been lying about this fact at first, but convening with the many Jedi healers that had cycled through Bly's office, all of whom were completely dedicated to investigating the Vode's biology to overcome any detrimental processes that the Long Necks had programmed into them had helped.

Really, there was no other conclusion to draw after all the facts were laid out and Bly had always liked to think that he was rational.

All of these developments had led to Bly having a pacing Jedi padawan in his room as Padme murmured orders quickly and quietly to one of her handmaidens, whilst Plo Koon stood against the wall alongside Bly's own personal contingent of guards.

The guards loved Master Plo. The team was made up of troopers who had worked directly under both Bly and Wolffe back on Vodera, so they sported either bright yellow or cool grey markings on their reinforced plastoid armour. Bly couldn't deny that there was just something about the master that filled him with a sense of security and calm, not unlike Kenobi did in the few times that Bly had seen him relax enough to speak freely. It had been a rare occasion to witness, but Bly could admit that that was reasonable given the circumstances that the man had found himself in.

"Calm yourself, Padawan," Master Plo rumbled and Skywalker skilled, whipping around to glare at the Kel Dor before Bly saw him visibly check himself and deflate.

Skywalker's shoulders slumped. "Sorry, Master. It's just…"

"I understand, young one. I too, am worried about Master Obi-Wan."

The kid wilted even more and looked so pathetic that it made Bly's heart twist. Padme was obviously similarly affected as she stood up and placed a hand on Skywalker's shoulder.

"Ani, it's going to be alright," she assured him.

He looked up at her, revealing eyes shiny with unshed tears as he allowed himself to be steered to a couch.

"I agree with the senator," Master Plo said. "Master Obi-Wan has found himself in many difficult situations before and he has emerged from each of them. We must have faith, in him and in the Force. He and the Vode are not helpless. They have skills that can help safeguard themselves."

Even though the words were not directed at him, Bly found some of the tension bleeding out of his shoulders in relief as he realised that Master Plo was right. Rex, Cody and Ponds were some of the toughest brothers he had, and he had seen Kenobi lift a kriffing crane. They could make it through this, whatever the kriff they had gotten themselves into.

Aayla shifted minutely beside him and Bly glanced at her, knowing that was her way to unobtrusively get his attention.

He found her shooting him a small grin and felt his lips twitching reflexively.

"He's really good, isn't he?" she murmured so quiet that only Bly would be able to hear. "Not just anyone could wrangle Anakin."

Bly's lips curved up in a small smile.

"He's right, you know," she told him, her voice the same volume as before. "My master and I had a couple of missions with Master Obi-Wan. He's hard to keep down and good at getting out of scrapes. Plus, I know that vode are all pretty formidable opponents."

Bly inclined his head at her releasing a small sigh.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Before he could say much else, the comm at the front of his desk went off.

Everyone in the room focused on the projector as Bly automatically answered it, even though he did not recognise the number.

"Hello, Senator!" an orange Devaronian greeted from where he was leaning in the chair. "I hope that I am finding you well."

Bly swallowed back his instinctive snapped reply. Aayla had helped gently coach him on the techniques that Fox and Kenobi had tried to hammer into him before he left. After this long, he now knew how to temper his anger. He missed Vodera. He never needed to worry about this osik around the Court.

"I seem to be at a disadvantage," Bly said, already guessing where this call would be going as he glanced down to ensure that both the tracing and the recording features on his communicator were switched on. "You know who I am, but I do not know who you are."

The Devaronian laughed. "You don't need to know my name. You only need to know one thing about me."

The focus of the projecting blurred and Bly's blood went cold as it refocused.

Tied to a chair, heavily gagged was Cody.

"I have your king."

\------

Obi-Wan blinked his eyes open to find his head resting against someone's thigh.

"Keno - uh - Obi-Wan," Rex greeted, looking down at him.

The first thing Obi-Wan registered was the throbbing ache in the back of his skull.

"Whoa!" Rex said as Obi-Wan tried to sit up. "Careful, you took a pretty hard hit. And I don't think that kriffing collar will help."

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut, his stomach lurching as awareness slammed into him, or, rather, his lack of awareness. Obi-Wan had had the displeasure of being separated from the Force a few times in his life, and it never got any easier.

It felt as if someone had blindfolded him. In fact, Obi-Wan would almost rather be blindfolded. At least they'd done training in the Temple on how to operate whilst blindfolded. On top of that, he could tell that his headache wasn't only because of the blow he had taken.

Cheap Force suppression devices usually had one of either two effects: not being fully effective in removing a fully trained Force Sensitive's abilities or causing Force Sensitive pain. The more expensive ones which were designed to be uncomfortable had a more acute, pointed feeling, instead of the dull, nauseating pounding that resounded through his body.

They had been ready for them.

The pirates had targeted Obi-Wan first, threatening the unprepared pilots when they failed to overwhelm him. As soon as he'd lowered his lightsaber, he'd felt the butt of a bluster knock against the back of his head hard and he'd crumpled to the ground.

"Ah, my friend," a voice from across the room said and Obi-Wan glanced to the side to see a Weequay locked up in another cell. "I'm glad to see that you are not dead. I told them to be careful with you, but, alas, they did not listen."

Rex, along with a number of the other men, growled lowly and the Weequay put his hands up.

"Hey, I was not aware that we would be ambushing you specifically. I thought we would be catching those damn Trandoshans, which is why I committed my funds to Drago's cause."

"What's happening?" Obi-Wan asked in a quiet murmur.

Rex glanced back down, refocusing on Obi-Wan.

"The leader - a Devaronian -"

"Drago," the Weequay supplied, entirely too cheerfully. "The devil double crossed me!"

Rex glared at him and the Weequay shut up.

"He has Cody," Rex informed Obi-Wan, the words sending a shard of ice into Obi-Wan's heart.

Obi-Wan attempted to push himself up, brushing off the hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to have a headache whether I'm lying down or not, Rex. We need to focus on getting out of here and I want to see the room," Obi-Wan said and after another moment's hesitation, Rex allowed him to sit up but kept a hand on his shoulder.

Obi-Wan glanced around, finding Waxer and Boil in their cell, and the pilots and eight other guards in two of the three other cells with the Weequay who had spoken and a few others of the same race, taking up the last one.

"And how do you factor into this?" he asked quietly.

"They helped the osik kovids capture us," Boil said with a scowl.

"Hey! He told me we would be attacking a dropship of exotic animals from the Trandoshan smugglers. Not that I would have been adverse to this plan. He just knew that I would have done more to protect my interests if we were going after something of this value. Drago may be a double-crossing slime ball but he is not dumb. He did not want to share the profits with us, even though he was happy to use my ship."

Obi-Wan blinked, his thoughts moving more slowly than usual as his brain tried to work without the constant sensory input of the Force. He couldn’t _feel_ anyone, finding himself constantly swivelling his head to keep track of everyone in the room. The movement did nothing to help his nausea or headache.

"And who are you?" Obi-Wan asked, the question causing a round of sighs to ripple through the clones.

"I am the infamous Hondo Ohnaka! It is a pleasure to meet you my fine Jedi friend!"

Obi-Wan rubbed his nose.

"And what do Trandoshans have to do with this?" It was only after he asked the question that he realised that it was irrelevant.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked," Hondo said before launching into a winding tale that contradicted itself at least four times that somehow ended with most of Hondo's previous crew getting captured by Trandoshans (and presumably hunted for sport) but not his ships, hence his partnership with Drago.

At least, that was what Obi-Wan gleaned from the story.

By the end of the pirate's spiel, Obi-Wan was resting his head back against the wall that Rex was sitting up against. He managed to flash Hondo a smile before he closed his eyes, trying to force his sluggish thoughts into order.

"So I'm guessing there's no way for us to get the collar off in here?" he questioned.

He was answered by several negative grunts and hums and a chirped, "Drago jettisoned the key!" from Hondo.

Well, shit.

"What do we know about the cells and the guard rotations?"

Between all the men, they got a perfect timing of the guards as well as the way that the locks worked.

"So all we need is an idea of the ship's layout and we can spring ourselves. I'm fairly sure they have our ship stashed on a nearby planet," Rex surmised.

Obi-Wan nodded, pursing his lips as he began thinking. However, his silent planning was cut off by the loud clearing of a throat.

"It seems we are in the perfect position to help each other, my friends," Hondo informed them. "You have figured out a way out of these cells and I know the ship's floorplan."

"Like we're trusting you," Boil grunted, immediately backed up by an 'Exactly!' from Waxer.

"We might not have a choice," Obi-Wan admitted, receiving several protests for his assessment.

"Cody's life is on the line if we don't get this right," Rex said firmly. "We need to know this information. We don't have time to waste, and we need to move around unnoticed."

"How do we know we can trust this shebla?" Appo growled.

"You don't!" Hondo replied.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan told the Weequay flatly.

"You're welcome."

"How about this?" Obi-Wan suggested. "Captain Ohnaka here will tell us how to get to Cody as well as what routes are most likely the safest. Then we can free him and he can lead us where our weapons will be stashed?"

There were a few reluctant grunts and Hondo clapped his hands together.

"Oh! That sounds like a fine plan, Kenobi!"

Rex nodded. "We can't afford to come up with anything better."

Obi-Wan's lips twitched upwards. "A truly unparalleled compliment, my prince."

Rex rolled his eyes but grinned briefly.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked quietly, his eyes shining with concern.

"I stashed a lockpicking kit near the weapon's locker. It might be able to spring it," Hondo suggested.

"Sparks or I should be able to figure it out," Waxer volunteered.

"Do we have time?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To get your powers on our side?" Rex asked. "Of course, di'kut."

"They could be about to kill Cody," Obi-Wan shot back even as he felt slightly dizzy just pushing himself to his feet.

He could push the feeling back, but he would be worse in a fight than any of the clones. If he had this thing on for a few hours longer, he wouldn't be able to walk straight. This thing was _cheap_.

"A risk I'm willing to take," Rex stated. "We're more likely to all get out of this with you free."

\------

"What do you want?" Bly asked before he could properly think this through.

His hand tightened into a fist under his desk even as he felt Aayla stiffen beside him. So much for diplomacy.

The projector swivelled back to show the Devaronian, standing now with his arms crossed. Bly could see a metal cylinder that he identified as a jetii'kad.

"Now, that's what I like to hear, Senator," the captor said with a laugh. However there was a loud bang from the other side of the comm and the projector was dropped, displaying the whole room instead of just the Devaronian.

The first thing that Bly registered was the blur of a piece of metal flying across the room.

The second thing he registered was the group of kriffing Vode led by a Jedi pouring into the room as the

saber flashed on, slicing through three blasters before anyone could even raise them.

The fight was over almost laughably quickly and, soon, both Rex and Kenobi were at Cody's side, Kenobi disengaging his cuffs whilst Rex eased off Cody's gag.

Waxer picked up the comm.

"Don't worry about it, Bly," he said. "We've got it covered on our end."

Cody's voice floated over from the side. "What took you so long?"

"Is everyone alright?" Bly asked, his heart ebating so hard that he could feel it hammering against his chest.

Waxer turned the projector so that Cody, Rex and Kenobi were in frame. The Jedi was sitting in the chair Cody just vacated as the king stretched out his cramped muscles and Rex checked him for any injuries, Kix working more effectively from the other side.

The question suitably distracted Bly's prince and he stepped away from Cody, leaving Kix less impeded in his job.

"Everyone's fine," he told them. "Kenobi's took a hit to the head and isn't looking too good so he'll be on concussion watch, but otherwise we're all pretty much unscathed."

"Obi-Wan!" Skywalker yelled, showing more restraint than Bly thought he possessed as he rushed around so he could see the projecting the right way around.

The Jedi frowned before he plastered a smile on his face.

"Ah, Anakin, as always, it's good to see you," he said. "Don't worry. I don't have a concussion. I was just in a cheap force suppression collar and am suffering the effects. I should be fine in a few days at most."

The kid deflated slightly, but he still stared intently at the projection.

"And I can direct you to your ship if you would be so kind as to give me control of my own one back," a voice said from somewhere off screen.

"Who the kriff is that?" Bly asked.

"No one you need to worry about," Rex answered too quickly. "You can read about it in the incident report. I'll make sure it's done up to Fox's standards."

"Goodbye vod."

Before Bly could object, Rex made a sharp hand gesture and the comm shut out.

Bly scowled. "Kriffing bastard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. I went to write it about a dozen times but kept writing myself into a corner and having to restart. 
> 
> I have year 12 exams coming up in about ten weeks, so my updates will be very delayed. They'll pick up after christmas though, I promise.
> 
> Thank you for all your comments. 
> 
> All the Mando'a were variations of dickhead except for di'kut which was idiot.


	17. Hangovers Are the Worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly Whump with a dash of plot at the end of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is finally here.

The day after the attack, Obi-Wan didn't show up for breakfast.

Cody frowned as he looked around the room. Everyone was glancing at the obviously empty chair at the dining table that had slowly become Obi-Wan's over the past few weeks as they all lived together on the ship. Usually, they all used breakfast and lunch as meeting times to discuss strategies or galactic news. Obi-Wan rarely missed mealtimes. Of course, there had been times when he'd been meditating or had gotten caught up in reading or had been coming someone, but this time felt different. Cody didn't think Obi-Wan would miss a breakfast after everyone went through what they did the day before.

He'd always turned up to meals after they'd experienced anything difficult, like a discriminatory politician or threatening world leaders. This surpassed anything that they'd gone through before on his trip.

Cody ate slowly, and when Obi-Wan still hadn't appeared after he'd finished his eggs (cheerfully supplied by Captain Onhaka), he decided to check on him. Rex stood up with him, gravitating to his side where he had been stuck since his men had freed him the day before.

He didn't need to announce where he was going and he handed his plate off to the brother on cleaning duty as he strode off to the dorm corridors.

Obi-Wan's quarters were just across from Cody and Rex's and were the second biggest on the ship, despite how the Jedi had protested when he had been given them. Cody had needed to use some of that word play that he had been taught by his husband to convince him to just take the damn rooms, reasoning that if they weren't going to share, he should at least be afforded something that denoted his status as King Consort, as the Court had decided to dub him.

He knocked on the door, glancing worriedly at Rex when there was no answer. Obi-Wan was a light sleeper, so if he wasn't responding, that meant he was either too deep in meditation for awareness or something else was wrong. The Jedi had assured Cody that the Vode had permission to rouse him from meditation whenever he wanted, even though both Cody and Rex doubted that it wasn't an inconvenience like Obi-Wan insisted. The man was always groggy whenever they broke his meditation, and he'd get this pinched look whenever he thought they weren't looking, as if he had a headache.

However, Cody opened the door quietly anyway. If Obi-Wan was in a deep enough meditation to not notice the knock, he wouldn't be roused by them quietly entering the room. Cody was just going to poke his head in, make sure that he was alright and then leave him be.

Yes. That was what he was going to. He was just reassuring himself that everyone that was under his command was alright.

Just checking in.

However, when he opened the door, Obi-Wan was nowhere to be seen.

Cody opened the door wider, sweeping the room, feeling Rex shift uncomfortable beside him when they couldn't see their charge. The bed was rumpled like it never usually was, books were scattered across the desk and the chair was left on an angle. The room wasn't messy, but it was slightly disordered in a way that Obi-Wan never was.

Cody's head snapped to the side at Rex's nudge and he saw that the fresher light was on.

With a few hand gestures, they both moved silently across the room. Readying themselves outside the door, Rex with one of his blasters out and Cody in a ready stance. They didn't exactly relax when the door opened, but they did get out of their braced positions. There certainly wasn't going to be a fight.

Obi-Wan was curled up on the ground, his forehead resting on the toilet seat and his hands braced on either side of it. His shoulders were shaking slightly and his back was slumped in such a way that it sent phantom aches through Cody's own body.

He and Rex shared the briefest of looks before they both surged forwards, positioning themselves on either side of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan raised his head as they crouched down, his grimace quickly smoothing as he recognised them.

"Ah, Cody, Rex, good morning. I've missed breakfast, haven't I? My apologies, time seems to have slipped away from me," he muttered in his signature smooth, charming cadence, the effect undercut by the fact that it was low and breathy from exhaustion.

Cody's forehead wrinkled as he took in his husband's damp hair and his paler than usual skin, the bags under his eyes almost bruise-like in comparison as they shined from a thin layer of sweat.

"Are you sick?" he asked, feeling simultaneously incredibly foolish for such an obvious question and completely lost. They hadn't encountered any allergenics or stimuli that could have resulted in illness. Kix had made sure of that after they were freed.

Obi-Wan grimaced but gave a small shake of his head, a movement he aborted half way through, instead going incredibly still as his whole body tensed.

"I don't have anything," he grit out without opening his eyes. "I'm afraid this is just an unfortunate side effect of the device I was wearing yesterday."

He paused, his body heaving as he gagged, but the Jedi locked his jaw. Both Cody and Rex leant forward but hesitating to touch the man without his permission.

Eventually, Obi-Wan sagged, breathing heavily as he huffed out, "As I said, it was made from incredibly cheap materials."

"Is there anything we can do?" Rex asked, his face open and eyebrows drawn with worry at the same time as Cody frowned and said, "You should have gone to Kix."

Obi-Wan glanced at Cody, his lips pulling up slightly.

"I was… a little… distracted," he murmured in between deep breaths.

Cody grimaced apologetically but the man just lifted his hand and gave a weak, dismissive wave.

He turned his attention to Rex.

"I'm afraid there's nothing to be done," he answered. "I will just be indisposed for some time."

"Do you know how long?" Cody asked, feeling like an asshole, but needing to now.

Obi-Wan didn't try to shake his head again, only bowed it forwards so it was leaning against the seat once more.

"It varies between devices," he explained, his voice soft enough that Cody was glad it was completely silent in the room. "I don’t… Anakin was always affected worse and for longer than I ever was. I'm sure I will manage to be functional in a few hours. My apologies for making you wait."

Cody and Rex shared a grimaced at the statement, but now wasn't the time to address it.

"What are your symptoms?" Rex questioned and Obi-Wan sucked in a deep breath.

"Nausea, obviously," he informed them, his voice coming out mechanical and serious, liking he was giving a report. "I am also experiencing a low-level ache throughout my body, though it is worst in my head."

"So, like a hangover," Cody deadpanned and Obi-Wan snorted quietly.

"Yes, without the fun the night before."

Cody wrinkled his nose sympathetically.

Rex rolled up his sleeve slightly. The Vode generally chose to continuing wearing blacks when they were being casual. A few people had chosen other clothing products, or had personalised their own wardrobe through stitching and painting, but the suits were soft, designed to prevent chafing and to keep temperature regulated properly. Cody liked the comfort of allowing himself to feel so exposed around those he trusts. They'd always worn their armour or their uniforms around the Long Necks.

"Can I touch your head?" Rex requested, holding out his hand. Obi-Wan gave a minute nod and let out a small sigh when Rex pressed his palm to the man's forehead.

"Well, at least it feels like you don't have a fever," he announced before he stood up. "I'll go get Kix as well as something for you to eat."

Cody glanced up at Rex, alarm shooting through him. He wasn't prepared to comfort someone who wasn’t Rex.

"Maybe I should -"

Rex cut him off in Mando'a. " _I need to know where you are. Please, just stay here."_

Cody shut his mouth, swallowing and nodding. Rex ran a hand through Cody's hair.

"Thank you, cyare."

He filled a glass with water and wet a face cloth, handing both to Cody before he left.

Cody immediately handed the water to Obi-Wan, who sipped it carefully before taking a large swig. He must have tipped it a little too fast, because a second later, Obi-Wan was slamming the cup onto the ground, sloshing water everywhere and throwing up into the toilet.

He shook through his gags before he collapsed, his arms going limp as his cheek rested on the side of the toilet so his face was turned to Cody, though his eyes were clenched shut.

Cody peered into the bowl, grimacing when all he saw was clear fluids and smelt the slight sourness of stomach acid. That wasn't good.

Cody had never gotten sick before. As a rule, clones didn't contract illnesses. Any who had had been deemed defective and neither Cody nor Rex had caught anything since their liberation. However, he had twice before gotten so drunk that he gave himself a hangover that put him in a similar position, so he had a vague idea of what might help.

"Can I touch you, Ob'ika?" he asked, a jolt of ice rushing through his veins as the name slipped out.

However, Obi-Wan didn't react to it, he just hummed out an affirmative.

"I'm going to rub your back and wash your face, okay?" Cody murmured, keeping his voice low and soothing, not unlike the last time him and Obi-Wan had ended up in a bathroom together. "Tell me if you don't want me to."

When Obi-Wan didn't reply beyond another vaguely positive hum, Cody decided to proceed. He carefully placed a hand on his husband's back, rubbing small circles across it. Obi-Wan relaxed under the touch and made a contented sound in the back of his throat when Cody pressed the cloth to his face.

He immediately tensed, his face tingeing pink, but Cody didn't say anything, didn't even acknowledge that he'd heard anything. He paused once Obi-Wan's face was damp with water instead of sweat. His husband took a deep, slightly shaky breath but didn't seem like he was about to throw up again.

Cody shifted into a cross-legged position, not taking his hand from Obi-Wan's back, even though his hand stuttered in its rhythm.

"I'm going to pull you into my lap now," he informed his husband and Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open.

"What?" he asked, his voice strained as he lifted his head. "No, I'll get you all disgusting."

"I don't mind," Cody replied, continuing his soothing rubs. "I think the contact will make you feel better."

"I don't need to inconvenience you," Obi-Wan said with a frown. "I'll manage."

"Are you comfortable?"

Obi-Wan didn't reply, but his eyes lowered to the ground.

"Would you like the contact?"

Obi-Wan pursed his lips. "You don't need -"

"Don't think about me," Cody said firmly, but kept his voice soothing. He wasn't going to let Obi-Wan talk his way out of this one. "I will be fine whether you want to or not. What will make _you_ feel better?"

Obi-Wan hung his head, his entire body wilting.

"Please," he murmured, his voice hoarse as he tilted towards Cody.

Cody did move his hand then, but only to drop it lower and hook it all the way around Obi-Wan's torso as he scooped up his legs and manoeuvred him so that he was sitting sideways in his lap, allowing Obi-Wan's legs to stretch out over Cody's thigh as his torso was cradled between his legs.

He gently lowered Obi-Wan so that his head was resting against Cody's shoulder and resumed rubbing the man's back as he pulled him tighter to his chest. From this position, he could feel the ever so slight tremors that were rolling through Obi-Wan's body.

"Do you want some water?" Cody asked.

Obi-Wan grimaced, his eyes cracking open.

"No… yes," Obi took a deep breath. "No."

Cody raised his eyebrows. Obi-Wan's cheeks reddened but his head became heavier on Cody's shoulder.

"You're dehydrated," Cody informed Obi-Wan, his voice flat.

Obi-Wan turned his head into Cody's shoulder. "I'm too tired to throw up again."

Cody frowned, but he didn't argue further. He could let his husband be until Kix got there. There was barely any water left in the cup anyway.

They were silent for a few minutes, as Obi-Wan tucked his head closer to Cody's neck. Powerless to stop himself, Cody began making soothing noises and, over the next few minutes, Obi-Wan's shaking slowly died down and his breathing deepened out.

When Kix eventually entered the room, he frowned at seeing Obi-Wan's state as he crept over to them, Rex came in just behind him carrying a tray laden with food and drinks.

Cody squeezed his arms a little tighter around Obi-Wan, shaking him slightly in an effort to rouse him. The man curled into him tighter for a moments before he slowly drew his head up, blinking rapidly.

"Oh," he breathed when he found Cody, Rex and Kix surrounding him. "My apologies, it seems I drifted off."

Kix pursed his lips crouching down as he reached out towards Obi-Wan telegraphing his actions and moving slowly, giving Obi-Wan plenty of time to withdraw. Obi-Wan allowed him to check his temperature and his reflexes, whilst Cody moved his arm so that it was supporting his back.

"Okay, good news," Kix said, leaning back once he was apparently satisfied with whatever results he had obtained. "Like I determined last night, you still don't have a concussion and you don't have a fever."

The medic made a note on his datapad. "You were right that your symptoms were delayed onset because of the adrenalin."

Obi-Wan gave a small nod, drooping slightly and Cody slowly tilted him so that he could lay his head back on his shoulder as the medic talked.

"You mentioned that pain killers wouldn't work?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, not lifting it from Cody's shoulder. "Don't know why. They just don't."

Kix grimaced but stood up. "It's okay. It just means that the only thing that we can do for you is get you back into bed and get some food and water into you."

Obi-Wan curled more into Cody's body, his expression twisting.

"I cannot guarantee that I won't vomit again."

"That's alright," Kix appeased. "I brought a bucket."

Kix gestured to Rex, who shuffled closer. "Why don't we try and get some food into you while we're still in here and if you can't keep it down we'll just get you into bed?"

Obi-Wan grimaced but lifted his head as Kix retrieved a piece of bread and a glass of water. After a little bit of gentle arranging in which Cody tried his best not to jostle Obi-Wan too much, they ended up with Obi-Wan sitting in front of the toilet once again with Cody supporting his back whilst Kix basically fed Obi-Wan, the Jedi steering the food and glass to his mouth whilst he medic holding.

It took a long time with Obi-Wan chewing each bite slowly and breathing deeply, but he managed to get the whole piece of bread down and only threw up after the third swallow.

They had a brief argument over Cody carrying Obi-Wan to his bed in which the Jedi tried to argue that it was a good idea to stand but only got to his knees before he paled even further than his already pallid expression. At that point, Cody just slowly scooped him up and Obi-Wan only grumbled a little bit on their short trip to his bed beside which Kix had already planted a large metal bucket.

Once that ordeal was over, both Kix and Rex took a step back.

"Alright, my dear king can monitor you for the next few hours and then we'll see about letting you up. But for now, you're staying here."

Both Cody and Obi-Wan gaped at the medic.

"Surely I don't need to waste anyone's time, especially not…" Obi-Wan began, trailing off with a frown.

"It's a medic ordered day off anyway," Rex assured him. "But we all know that Cody would find some way to work. At least here he has a set task and we don't have to worry about him going against medical advice."

Obi-Wan's mouth twisted and his eyebrows furrowed. "I would hardly categorise playing nurse to me as resting.

Rex waved him off with a smile. "Nonsense, I already have a comfy chair and the holonovel that Cody has wanted to read but hasn't had time to. It'll be good for him."

Cody narrowed his eyes and was about to argue but the words stuck in his throat. That plan… didn't sound too bad actually. Cody didn't have any work. He'd planned on combing further through the possible budget breakdowns for the arts program that had been put together by Gree but they'd already approved one and he hadn't really needed to read through anymore. Each knew one that he read solidified the decision he had already made anyway.

And Obi-Wan was obviously not in any condition to discuss diplomatic intricacies as he and Cody had taken to doing in most of their spare time.

Even though, Cody didn't argue, he did shoot Rex a glare as he handed Cody his book and chair, waggling his eyebrows as he did. The suggestive comments surrounding Obi-Wan had increased over the few weeks leading up to the trip. Cody hated that he had no comeback to them. Rex knew him too well to believe any denials of the steady attraction that had been growing within Cody.

The Jedi was undeniably handsome. It was a fact that was impossible to notice now that Cody was actually paying attention to him. 

Obi-Wan glanced at Cody as the door closed behind Kix and Rex.

"I'm terribly sorry about this inconvenience. Please don't feel obligated to do anything."

Cody shook his head. "No, please don't apologise. You have literally no fault in this situation."

"Besides," Cody started before he paused, holding back his grimace as he admitted. "Rex was right."

Obi-Wan's lips twitched upwards.

"Please don't say anything to him," Cody muttered, leaning into it in an attempt to get a glimpse of Obi-Wan's smile.

He was rewarded well.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Obi-Wan replied, the corner of his eyes creasing.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Cody fingered the fiddled with the cover of his holobook. It was only broken when Obi-Wan gave a stifled grunt and curled up onto his side.

"You alright?" Cody asked.

Obi-Wan hummed. "The headache isn't as bad now. I'm just… drowsy."

"Do you want me to rub your back until you drop off?"

Obi-Wan hesitated. "Yes please."

\----------

One day later, Obi-Wan walked up to Cody after receiving an urgent holocall. He was shifting nervously in his robe.

Cody glanced up from the paperwork that he'd wrestled away from Kix, who had tried (and failed) to coax the ship into another rest day. They were ahead of schedule and Cody needed to decide what they were going to do so they didn't arrive at their next destination horrendously early. Cody didn’t need Obi-Wan to tell him that that would lead to tensions.

"What's the matter?" Rex asked from where he was sitting across the table form Cody.

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together, taking a few seconds to answer.

"I need to make a stop on Tattooine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EXAMS ARE OVER. I AM NO LONGER A HIGH SCHOOLER. I AM OFFICIALLY (LEGALLY) AN ADULT. 
> 
> Sorry for how long this took. I had the first half written for like a month and a half and have literally only just started writing again. 
> 
> Thank you for all your comments in support. They were all so nice and made me so happy to read over the past few months. 
> 
> How did you guys like it?
> 
> Side note: If I wrote a book would anyone actually read it and does anyone want to talk with me about it?

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is reydjarinkenobi
> 
> Here is a link: https://reydjarinkenobi.tumblr.com/
> 
> If you want to send me asks with prompts or talk to me in my messages feel free to. Seriously, this is an open and enthusiastic invitation.


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